The name Dr. William Makis has become a bit of a lightning rod lately. If you spend any time on X (formerly Twitter) or Substack, you've likely seen his posts. He’s the guy talking about "turbo cancers" and "dead doctors." He’s got a massive following. But if you look at official records in Alberta, the story gets way more complicated.
It’s a classic modern drama. On one side, you have a former nuclear medicine physician with a CV full of high-level research. On the other, you have the entire medical establishment of Alberta and the courts. People usually fall into two camps: they either think he’s a whistleblower being silenced or a "vexatious litigant" spreading misinformation.
Let's actually look at the facts of what happened in Alberta. It’s not just a social media spat; it’s a years-long legal saga.
The Fall of Dr William Makis in Alberta Canada
William Makis didn't start out as a fringe figure. Honestly, he was quite the opposite. He was a bright light at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton. He worked in nuclear medicine—a highly specialized field that uses radioactive materials to diagnose and treat things like late-stage neuroendocrine tumors.
He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications. That’s not a small feat. You don't get that many papers in medical journals by accident. But things started to go sideways around 2014.
Basically, Makis got into a massive dispute with Alberta Health Services (AHS). It started with complaints about his workload and some issues with a research proposal that didn't get the green light. Most people might have a meeting with HR and move on. Makis didn't do that.
Instead, a "Triggered Initial Assessment" was launched in 2016. This is basically a deep dive into a doctor’s behavior and professional conduct. The report wasn't kind. It described a "high level of workplace conflict."
The Medical License Mystery
Here is the thing most people get wrong. Is he still a doctor? Well, technically, he has the degree. He graduated from McGill. He’s a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
But can he practice medicine in Alberta? No.
His license status is "Inactive." If you check the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) directory, his registration was cancelled back in 2019. Why? The official reason is "non-payment" of dues.
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It sounds boring, right? But the context is everything. He was already in a massive legal war with the College and AHS by then.
The Legend of the "Vexatious Litigant"
If you want to understand the Dr William Makis Alberta Canada situation, you have to understand the term "vexatious litigant." It’s a legal label that judges use for people who file so many lawsuits that it’s considered an abuse of the court system.
In 2018, a judge in Alberta officially gave Makis this label.
He didn't just sue AHS. He sued other doctors. He filed complaints with the police, the Law Society, and the Privacy Commissioner. At one point, a judge noted he had initiated over 100 different complaints or actions.
Makis claims this was a "criminal conspiracy" to destroy his career because he was exposing corruption. The courts saw it differently. They saw a man who couldn't accept a contract termination and was using the legal system as a weapon.
Because of this "vexatious" status, he can't just file a new lawsuit whenever he wants. He has to get special permission from a judge first. It’s like being on legal probation.
Turbo Cancers and the 80 Dead Doctors
Fast forward to the pandemic. This is where Makis went from a local Alberta story to a global internet sensation.
He started posting lists. He claimed that dozens of Canadian doctors were "dying suddenly" because of the COVID-19 vaccines. He eventually grew this list to include 80 doctors.
Health officials and fact-checkers went through those lists. They found that many of the doctors on his list died of known, long-term illnesses like advanced stage 4 cancer or even old age. But in the world of social media, the nuance got lost. The "80 dead doctors" claim took on a life of its own.
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What is "Turbo Cancer"?
This is the term Makis is most famous for now. He uses it to describe cancers that supposedly appear out of nowhere and progress at a terrifying speed after vaccination.
Here is the reality: "Turbo cancer" is not a medical term. If you ask an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic or the Cross Cancer Institute about it, they'll tell you it’s not in any textbook.
That doesn't mean people aren't seeing aggressive cancers. They are. But the scientific consensus—backed by organizations like the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute—is that there is no evidence linking vaccines to these rapid-onset cancers.
Makis, however, continues to publish case studies on his Substack. He recently co-authored a paper about using Fenbendazole (a dog dewormer) as a cancer treatment. It’s the kind of stuff that makes the medical board in Alberta very, very nervous.
Recent Legal Injunctions (2025)
The battle isn't over. Just recently, in late 2025, the CPSA went back to court.
They were worried that Makis was still presenting himself as a practicing physician. On August 15, 2025, the Alberta Court of King’s Bench granted an interim injunction against him.
The rules are now very specific:
- He can't say or imply he is licensed in Alberta.
- He is restricted from offering medical advice or cancer consultations to the public.
- He is prohibited from using the title "doctor" or "oncologist" when providing a health service.
The court even ordered him to strip those titles from his social media profiles if he’s using them to give medical opinions.
It’s a bizarre situation. You have a man who spent decades training to be a specialist, who can no longer officially call himself a "Dr" in a professional capacity in his home province, yet has more "patients" (or followers) than ever before online.
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Understanding the Nuance
So, what do we make of all this?
If you're looking for a simple hero or a simple villain, you won't find one here. Dr William Makis in Alberta Canada represents a massive shift in how we handle medical authority.
To his supporters, he’s a martyr. They see a guy who was a top-tier cancer researcher at a prestigious institute who "spoke truth to power" and lost everything for it. They point to his published papers as proof that he knows what he's talking about.
To the medical community, he’s a cautionary tale. They see a doctor who lost his way, became obsessed with a legal vendetta, and is now using his credentials to promote theories that could lead people to skip life-saving treatments.
The Alberta Court of Appeal recently refused to restore some of his appeals because he couldn't (or didn't) post the "security for costs"—which is basically a deposit to prove you're serious about the lawsuit. Makis said he didn't have the money. His followers eventually raised it for him, but the court said the delay was too long.
The door is mostly closed on his legal return to AHS.
Actionable Steps for Navigating These Claims
When you come across information from figures like Makis, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here is how to handle it practically:
- Check License Status Directly: Don't guess. Every province has a "Physician Directory." For Alberta, it’s the CPSA website. It will tell you if a doctor is "Active," "Inactive," or "Suspended."
- Verify the Terminology: If you hear a term like "turbo cancer," search for it on Google Scholar or PubMed. If the only places it appears are blogs and social media, be extremely cautious.
- Look for Second Opinions: If you are a cancer patient considering "repurposed drugs" like Fenbendazole based on something you read online, talk to an active oncologist first. They can explain the actual risks of drug interactions.
- Distinguish Between Research and Practice: A person can be a great researcher (the 100+ papers) but still be deemed "unprofessional" or "vexatious" by a regulator based on their conduct. Both things can be true at the same time.
The saga of William Makis is far from over, but the battlefield has moved from the hospitals of Edmonton to the servers of social media. While the courts have largely silenced his legal claims in Alberta, his voice is louder than ever elsewhere. Just make sure you know which version of the story you're reading.
To verify the current status of any physician in the province, you should visit the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) official search tool. If you are seeking medical advice, always consult with a licensed professional who is subject to current regulatory oversight and provincial safety standards.