A woman has filed a complaint with the Montreal police ethics committee after she says she was threatened with arrest and a criminal charge over a disagreement concerning dental fees.
“I felt that being a single mother on social assistance was a factor in how I was treated,” said Leveesa Lessey. “If I were white, it would have a different outcome.”
In February, Lessey visited Clinique dentaire Ville-Marie in Centre-Sud so a dentist could perform a fillings procedure on her three-year-old son. Lessey thought she agreed to amalgam fillings, which are typically covered for young children under the public health insurance plan. However, after the procedure, the dentist informed her that he used composite fillings, which are not covered by the plan. He then asked Lessey to pay $198, an amount she deemed “substantial” for a single mother of two on welfare.
