Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Hospital chaplains' infighting made changes necessary: boss

By: Carol Sanders

Posted: 11/26/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Rev. Carlyle Murrell-Cole (from left), Sister Jeannine Corbeil and Fr. Roland Lanoie filed complaint. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES)

The priest accused of bullying chaplains at a Winnipeg hospital says most but not all of his staff embraced the changes he was forced to make in a divided department in an evolving institution.

At an arbitration hearing Wednesday, Father Gerry Ward testified that after he took the job of spiritual care director at St. Boniface General Hospital in 2005, changes had to be made in his department because of infighting.

When he told the hospital chaplains they were no longer allowed to send emails to their colleagues at work without his approval, he got a swift response from one of them: "Heil Hitler."

The remark was made by Sister Jeannine Corbeil, one of three chaplains who've filed a grievance against Ward, accusing him of bullying.

Corbeil, Father Roland Lanoie and Rev. Carlyle Murrell-Cole allege Ward verbally abused them, threatened to undermine their careers, then labelled them as troublemakers.

The email edict was an attempt to curtail some of the divisiveness, Ward said.

There also had to be changes in staffing to reflect changes in the overall hospital, he said.

Ward said nowadays, patients spend fewer days in hospital than a decade ago, so chaplains today have to respond more quickly.

The hospital became the major cardiac care centre, and that changed the "acuity" of the needs for spiritual care, said Ward.

The changes he made to the spiritual care department staffing and assignments were welcomed by most but not all the chaplains, he said.

Ward removed Murrell-Cole from his 13-year position in the psychiatric unit after the non-denominational minister was elected as the union representative for the spiritual care department staff. Murrell-Cole testified earlier that he was kicked out of his office and reassigned to another part of the hospital with twice the responsibilities. He told hearing arbitrator Arne Peltz that he was assigned to share a desk with another chaplain in a tiny office.

There were no chaplains with any psychiatric training, experience or desire to take Murrell-Cole's place, he said. He said before his assignment was taken away, he ran group sessions for the mental-health patients twice a week as well as making the rounds, assessing patients spiritual needs and counselling outpatients.

Ward testified Wednesday that the psychiatric unit didn't require a lot of spiritual care, so Murrell-Cole was shifted to another area of the hospital. The psychiatric ward eventually became an on-call assignment, and chaplain services were only requested a couple of times a week, said Ward.

The hearing continues Friday.

carold.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 26, 2009 B2

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

WFP Hockey

Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
Editor's Bulletin

Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
Winnipeg Jets

All things NHL on our Jets landing page
Twitter

Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
News Cafe

Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
Facebook Fanpage

Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events