The Manitoba government said it has appointed Marlene Bertrand as provisional administrator of the Osborne House women’s shelter.
“The appointment is effective immediately and follows recommendations of independent expert consultants after 18 months of work to resolve ongoing safety issues identified at the organization,” said the province in a release.
A provincial spokesperson said some of the safety issues have included inadequate building security with issues with locks, and at least one case of child abuse not reported by a staff member.
The province said it held 60 face-to-face and telephone meetings with Osborne House representatives during a collaborative attempt to address concerns.
“Last month, the province received two reports by two independent expert consultants, which identified safety and workplace hostility concerns to be addressed at Osborne House,” said the government.
Provincial officials said they contacted Osborne House board members and advised they were required to create an action plan to address concerns.
Osborne House CEO Barbara Judt previously said the NDP is targeting her organization partly because she attended a news conference with the opposition Progressive Conservatives in the 2011 election campaign when the Tories promised $5 million to upgrade the shelter.
Judt went on medical leave earlier this week.
The NDP government has been embroiled in a nasty spat with the shelter that has involved accusations of racism, political favouritism and a toxic work environment.
The province’s release Friday said it was not satisfied work was being done at the women’s shelter to address issues noted in the consultants' reports.
“Yesterday, the consultants wrote the province stating that nothing contained in the (Osborne House’s) board's response indicated they were prepared to move forward in any timely or constructive manner to resolve outstanding issues, that they no longer have confidence the senior management or the board will be able to address the substantive issues raised in their report and that there appears to be no alternative other than intervention and external involvement in order to ensure needed changes occur.”
The province said Marlene Bertrand was previously executive director of Osborne House for more than six years in the 1980s.
Of the 10 domestic violence shelters in Manitoba, Osborne House is the largest.
- with files from The Canadian Press
