Two former employees are suing Sandy Bay Child and Family Services for wrongful dismissal

Two former Sandy Bay Child and Family Services employees are suing the child welfare agency, claiming they were wrongfully fired a year after the organization’s head was fired over fraud allegations.

Tanya Aitkens and Elissa Roulette accuse Sandy Bay Child and Family Services, which provides services to the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation in southern Manitoba, of breaching their employment contracts when they were terminated in March 2022.

In separate lawsuits filed Sept. 26 in the Court of King’s Bench in Winnipeg, Aitkens, the agency’s operations manager, and Roulette, who worked as an executive assistant, say Sandy Bay CFS fired them over allegations they lacked funds properly managed and failed to report expense approvals, which was inconsistent with agency policies and procedures.

The lawsuits, both filed by lawyers from the Winnipeg law firm Pitblado, say “Sandy Bay CFS has failed to provide evidence to support its allegations” and that neither woman was given the opportunity to respond “in any meaningful way” to the allegations answer. “

The lawsuit says Sandy Bay CFS engaged in “humiliating, domineering and embarrassing treatment” toward the women and “portrayed them in a negative light in the eyes of the women.” [their] community” without evidence, causing psychological distress and damaging their reputation and career prospects.

According to the lawsuits, allegations against Aitkens and Roulette were made shortly after Sandy Bay CFS was placed into administration with the Southern First Nations Network of Care in June 2021 and a forensic audit was initiated.

Later that year, Sandy Bay CFS fired its chief executive Richard De La Ronde after allegations of financial irregularities at the child welfare agency. A lawsuit filed against him last month by Sandy Bay CFS alleges he fraudulently enriched himself at the agency’s expense and missed out on more than $10 million.

In August 2021, Aitkens and Roulette were placed on paid leave effective immediately while the audit was conducted, the lawsuits say.

The women were told they would receive further details about the requirements of their paid leave, but were not given any further information, the lawsuits say.

“Unfair and unethical” comments at meetings: lawsuits

The lawsuits say the employees performed their duties “faithfully, competently and diligently on behalf of Sandy Bay CFS” and were valuable and reliable employees.

According to her statement of claim, Aitkens worked at the Department of Social Services for about 17 years. She was hired as an administrative assistant in July 2005 and promoted to operations manager about a year later. In 2013 she was promoted to operations manager.

Roulette worked at Sandy Bay CFS for about 14 years, starting as an administrative assistant in 2008 before being promoted to executive assistant a year later, her lawsuit says.

Roulette claims she spoke to Delores Roulette, then managing director of Sandy Bay CFS, in 2022 about returning to her position. Discussions about her planned return date continued until January 2023, but in February 2023 she saw that Sandy Bay CFS had posted a vacancy for her old position online without her knowledge.

Both Aitkens and Roulette say their dismissal was without cause. They are seeking compensation equal to the wages and benefits they would have received had they been given reasonable notice, the lawsuits say.

The two lawsuits also accuse Joy Cramer, the executive director of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization – which was involved in the management of Sandy Bay CFS – of making an “unfair and unethical” comment about Aitkens and Roulette during a public community meeting in September 2024 have.

According to the lawsuits, Cramer claimed Aitkens and Roulette “had credit cards, bought whatever they wanted and never provided receipts.”

The Southern Chiefs’ Organization did not respond to CBC’s request for comment before publication.

Current Sandy Bay CFS executive director Sharon Desmarais said Friday she had not yet been informed of the lawsuits against the agency.

No defense statements were filed and none of the allegations were proven in court.