Days after being killed in a mountain biking accident, a well-known intensive-care physician from Edmonton is being remembered for his many contributions as a health-care professional and a community advocate.
Darren Markland, 54, died Sunday while biking the Black Mountain trail network near Nordegg, Alta., about 300 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.
A doctor at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital, Markland became well known in Alberta for his insights regarding the challenges facing the health-care system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
People and organizations from across Canada have taken to social media to share their condolences, including Prime Minister Mark Carney and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi.
“Deeply saddened by news of the passing of Dr. Darren Markland earlier this week,” Carney wrote in a social media post Thursday.
“Darren was a tireless advocate for patients and health-care workers in Edmonton and across Canada. His compassion and dedication made our country stronger.”
Sohi also posted about Markland on social media, noting the doctor “was more than a healer.”
“He was a champion for kindness, justice, community spirit and a deep appreciation of the nature that surrounds our beautiful city.”
Dr. Raiyan Chowdhury, a critical-care physician who worked alongside Markland for 11 years at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, said his colleague’s death is a “massive loss.”
“He was such a big part of our unit, a big part of the city [and] a big part of the medical community,” Chowdhury said.
He said Markland was considered a “medical leader” that residents and other doctors admired.
“He just left such a profound impression on anyone that had a chance to work with him,” Chowdhury said.
“His positive energy and outlook on life was one of the things that really helped our [hospital] unit get through the pain and suffering we saw with COVID.”
A vocal critic during the pandemic
Markland became known during the pandemic as a vocal critic of the Alberta government, raising issues regarding policies and messaging that concerned him.
He was at the forefront of medical experts who warned the provincial government that Alberta hospitals were in danger of being pushed beyond capacity.
Markland was among hundreds of doctors who signed a letter to then-premier Jason Kenney, calling for another strict lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 in November 2020.
In 2023, Markland was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, a “commemorative medal served to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.”
An inspiring ER doctor, biker
On Friday, hundreds of close friends and community members attended a coffee memorial for Markland in the early morning hours. Markland organized a common community get-together, called Coffee Outside.
Hundreds of close friends and community members gathered at Constable Ezio Faraone Park early Friday morning to share stories about Darren Markland. (Dave Bajer/CBC)
He frequented Constable Ezio Faraone Park on a cargo bike with a built-in coffee grinder and propane stove, effectively running a coffee stand on wheels.
Co-organizer Glenn Kubish initially connected with Markland over Twitter, and they bonded over their love of bikes and the outdoors.
“He was great at everything he did. You know, he was a great physician. He was a great intensive care doctor. He was a great chef, he was a great bike maker and bike rider, great mechanic, great friend,” Kubish said.
He said one of his favourite memories was when they dressed up in inflatable T. Rex costumes and rode their bikes at 2 a.m. one morning. Another was when they organized a bike ride around public art spaces in Edmonton, where Markland operated a tandem bike, so that his son could play classical music on a keyboard to keep riders entertained.
Aaron Budnick with the YEG Bike Coalition said the ER doctor was a vital figure in the biking community in Edmonton and advocated for the importance of active transportation.
“He had one of the hardest jobs imaginable, saving people’s lives, especially with all of the challenges with health-care right now. He was worked to the bone. And you never knew that talking to him. He just had so much energy and so much vibrancy. He was just an incredible human being,” he said.
Budnick said they intend to continue Markland’s coffee outdoors tradition.
Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases expert with the University of Alberta, met Markland at a medical student conference where they bonded over a crude demonstration involving contraception and fruits, meant to teach the benefits of sexual health.
She remembers Markland as a supportive mentor in the medical community, who put people first.
“I really think that he touched a lot of people through his social media kind of eloquence, personal reflections, as well as like the science stuff and his own opinions and advocacy,” she said.
“It really helped a lot of people that he was vulnerable about the experiences.”
Raj Bhardwaj, a fellow doctor, met Markland when they got hired on the same day at the Telus World of Science. He said they bonded over science experiments, and a healthy disrespect of the authorities at the centre.
Raj Bhardwaj, a close friend, remembers Markland as a capable and courageous doctor. (Dave Bajer/CBC)
“As he would kindly put it, we started blowing stuff up and doing science demos with liquid nitrogen and electricity and all sorts of stuff,” he said.
“And then the evolution I think, of his science communication in mind, was that we wanted to do stuff outside the science centre and they wouldn’t let us. So we went out and did it on our own.”
They later attended medical school together at the University of Calgary.
Bhardwaj said Markland was a powerful advocate for the medical community during the pandemic when he received pushback for some of his opinions, and after, when he continued to play a public-facing role.
But that’s not the only way Bhardwaj wants his friend to be remembered.
“I don’t think he would be happy with the word legacy. I feel like that’s not him. But he had a huge impact. And I think that one of the big things is that he had an impact on people being open to each other and communicating with each other and, and being curious,” he said.
“Really, I mean, we’re all just little specks on this giant rock. And he was well aware of that. And I think this is powerful. I never want this to go away.”