British Columbia’s medical regulator charges unlicensed ‘acupuncturist’ with contempt

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A Richmond man should be arrested and jailed for contempt of court for violating a 2016 permanent court injunction banning him from practicing acupuncture, according to the regulator of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Wai Cheong Chik should face up to 45 days in jail and/or a fine for violating the court order, the BC College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture said in a petition filed with BC Supreme Court.

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The university filed the petition after receiving a complaint in March about Schick’s acupuncture practice in the 5600 block of Colville Road in Richmond from a woman who secretly filmed Schick providing $30-a-session treatments at her home clinic, according to the petition.

The university hired a private investigator to follow Chick as he left the campus multiple times with bags and threw them in public trash cans. The recovered bags contained various medical waste and packaging materials.

According to the petition, a woman named Bonnie Ho allegedly secretly recorded Chick’s treatment during a previous treatment because she suspected that he had used a needle other than the standard acupuncture needle. It is stated in

According to the petition, cellphone footage showed Chick first inserting the needles and then removing the medical syringe from a rolled up towel tied with a rubber band.

Despite the 2016 order, “Defendants continue to knowingly provide TCM/Acupuncture services for remuneration, (and) pose a serious risk to the public,” the college alleges in its claim.

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According to the petition, those who practice Chinese medicine or acupuncture in British Columbia must register with a university (or the university that governs physical therapists and naturopaths) under the Health Professions Act.

According to the lawsuit, Chick first applied to the university in 2000 but was rejected because he “submitted a false affidavit of graduation certificate and transcripts” and was barred from reapplying until 2003. Chick did not reapply, the lawsuit said.

In 2016, the university filed for a permanent injunction after receiving information that he was practicing from his home in Richmond. That was granted, and Chick was prohibited from practicing Chinese medicine and acupuncture until he registered with the university, according to the complaint. He was ordered to pay more than $36,000 in legal costs.

In 2019, the university “surveilled and executed search and seizure orders” at Chick’s home and then filed a contempt suit, but the suit was dismissed by the Supreme Court, the petition states.

In 2023, Chick’s neighbor saw several cars parked outside Chick’s house and alerted the university. The university hired nine private investigators from Paladin Risk Solutions to monitor and record Chick’s home for 18 consecutive days in August 2023, and searched his trash.

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For example, according to an affidavit filed with the petition, he was driving from his home to the Lansdowne Centre just before 5 a.m. on August 11 when he was followed as he got out of his car carrying a white bag.

“He disappeared from view for a moment then returned to his car without the white bag,” the statement said.

Investigators recovered the bag and found it contained several insulin syringes, an empty bag labeled “insulin syringe” and a small vial labeled lidocaine injection.

The petition describes four instances in which Chick left home with similar bags and drove to the Lansdowne Centre between 4 and 5 a.m. each time, disposing of a total of seven bags, all of which contained empty packets of dexamethasone sodium phosphate and corticosteroid injections, as well as various medical packages, the petition states, citing various affidavits.

The client, Bonnie Ho, claimed that Chick appeared to have used a syringe and injected something into her back, and said in an affidavit that she paid in cash and did not receive a receipt.

The petition cites a civil contempt complaint filed by the BC College of Dental Surgeons against unqualified, foreign-trained dentists, and calls for Mr. Chick to be fined or detained for up to 45 days through an “enforcement order.” asked the court to consider ordering. The dentist, who practices dentistry in B.C., continued to practice despite a similar injunction and was sentenced to 45 days in jail.

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None of the allegations have been proven in court. Chick could not be reached for comment.

The petition alleges that Chick puts the public at risk because he is not licensed to provide acupuncture or inject drugs into patients. Chick does not carry professional liability insurance, does not update his practice records, or participate in continuing education. Chick is not subject to regulatory oversight and may not adhere to ethical and practice standards, such as proper sterilization and disposal of needles, the petition states.

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