Internationally-trained dentist from Calgary killed in northern Ont. crash

Abdul Majid Hashmi, 51, was killed in single-vehicle crash on Highway 129 in northern Ontario on Dec. 4. (Gofundme)

A 51-year-old Calgary, Alta., man has been identified as the victim in a fatal single-vehicle crash in northern Ontario, police say.

Dr. Abdul Hashmi was killed Dec. 4 around 4 p.m. when his northbound, four-door SUV left Highway 129 and went into the ditch on the other side of the road, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Thursday morning.

It happened about 40 kilometres south of Chapleau, near the Highway 667 intersection, police said.

Hashmi was a dentist who immigrated from Pakistan and has been working toward his certification in Canada.

He was on his way home after taking the National Dental Examining Board of Canada's National Dental Examination of Clinical Competence exam, the Internationally Trained Dentists Association of Canada (ITDAC) said in a social media post Dec. 8.

"This is the last of three equivalency exams that internationally-trained dentists need to complete to become licensed to work in Canada," Dr. Luca Salvador, president of ITDAC, told CTV News in a message on social media.

"That exam is only offered in Ottawa, which is why he had to drive all the way from Alberta."

The distance between the two cities is approximately 3,400 kilometres each way.

"I did not know Dr. Hashimi personally. I know of him through others who speak very highly of him," Salvador said.

"This tragic event happened because the dental regulators have put people like Dr. Hashmi in a position where they have to drive 20 plus hours to attempt an exam because they can't afford a flight."

Canada's accreditation process can cost some newcomers more than $100,000, he said.

"The amount of debt many internationally-trained dentists accumulate to get through the equivalency process is immense," Salvador said.

"And because they don't have a license to work in Canada, they have to work minimum wage jobs to survive. Dr. Hashmi had three children and he had to provide for them."

An online fundraiser was started a week ago by "his friends at Prep Doctors" and has raised more than $95,000 to support his family.

"Dr. Abdul was one of our most beloved and brightest dental trainees. He began his journey with us back in 2018 and had warmed our hearts with his presence ever since," Prep Doctors said in a social media post.

"We will forever remember him as cheerful, kind, and always smiling. He was a hard-working dentist and a loving family man."

One of the gofundme campaign organizers, Ahmed Youseff, said nearly 800 people helped raise the money in just four days.

"Dr. Abdul was working towards the Canadian Dental Equivalency. He never gave up for years until he wrote his third and biggest exam last week," the gofundme page said.

"His family suddenly lost their father, whom we can't help them get back, but we can help ease the financial burden of this catastrophic accident. Everyone who is going through the Canadian dental equivalency realizes the financial investment you have to put in, hoping to get paid back once you're certified to work, which will never happen for brother Abdul."

The crash investigation is continuing.