Accusations of ‘authoritarian leadership’ at Klinic lead to audit

A third-party report on an inner-city community health facility reveals concerns about management practices and staff safety amid several doctor resignations, the Free Press has learned.

TLS Enterprises, a Winnipeg consulting firm, delivered the 50-page report to Klinic Community Health’s board of directors and staff on Monday. It was commissioned by the non-profit in the spring after employees wrote to the board to raise concerns about alleged racism, intimidation and bullying in the workplace.

The firm surveyed 128 staff and volunteers, and interviewed 75 employees. It found Klinic staff said it was a dysfunctional workplace run by “authoritarian leadership,” which didn’t listen to employees’ concerns. The report also found racist incidents had occurred, but were not rampant.

Staff quoted in the report said if people questioned decisions by managers, they’d be put on administrative leave without a proper investigation being held.

The report said managers would blame staff based on hearsay, without inquiring about the facts of an incident. Managers would also intimidate staff during meetings, at one point calling employees “entitled spoiled brats.”

Three doctors have resigned at Klinic and will leave by the end of summer, Klinic confirmed Wednesday. On its website, two family physician job openings are posted.

The facility, at Sherbrook Street and Sara Avenue, is a fixture for health care and mental health resources in the area, with 240 employees. During the 2024-25 fiscal year, it conducted 27,052 medical appointments and distributed 48,050 safe drug use supplies, its most recent annual report states.

Klinic received $19.3 million in funding during that time. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority contributed $15.3 million while the province kicked in nearly $2 million. The federal government also gave $264,422 to Klinic.

A WRHA spokesperson declined to comment on the report. The province didn’t respond to interview requests.

Management’s treatment of staff increased burnout and pushed some employees to leave Klinic rather than voice concerns, the report said.

“People want to stay and do good work — but many are losing faith. Some describe it as “Survivor Island,” unsure who will be forced out next,” an unnamed employee said in the report.

The document noted division over whether Klinic should continue to offer drop-in services, in which community hosts greet people, distribute coffee, granola bars and harm-reduction supplies. Some employees, the report said, believed it was important that the service be offered because no other organization has a drop-in space in West Broadway.

“People want to stay and do good work – but many are losing faith. Some describe it as “Survivor Island,” unsure who will be forced out next.”

Some of the community hosts were recently placed on leave or resigned, the report said.

The position was eliminated in March due to lack of funding, Klinic administration said, noting the facility has never been designated as a drop-in centre.

Klinic administration said they’re talking with the province to get funding to bring back the community host position.

The report said staff felt unsafe because people with weapons would enter the facility and there were violent incidents against staff.

Workers who agreed to speak with the Free Press on the condition of anonymity said they would often respond to drug overdoses in the waiting room and the bathroom, despite not having proper training or resources.

A drug deal in the waiting area was reported to management, but was dismissed as “a lie” because of an error in the date it occurred, the report said.

The staff member who alerted management was “harshly criticized,” the report said. In an April 16, 2025, internal email shared with the Free Press, then-interim executive director Deb Radi said the reports of drug deals in the lobby were “unfounded claims.”

However, several Klinic sources told the Free Press the exchanges happened.

Safety measures were implemented in April, including limiting the time people could spend in the waiting area to 30 minutes in the summer and fall and 45 minutes in the winter, if they weren’t there for an appointment, internal emails said.

The report noted this was done without adequate input from front-line staff.

When employees raised safety concerns, the report said co-workers and managers accused them of being racist or discriminatory.

The report issued six recommendations on racial equity, safety and management practices.

They include redefining its drop-in centre approach and creating a reporting system in which employees can raise their concerns without repercussions.

Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, was surprised and saddened by the report’s findings.

“We need front-line health-care providers. We need all the staff we can get now, and this is not the time to be allowing culture to shift staffing movement,” Jackson said.

She said there are many nurses who value the work they do at Klinic and the role it plays in the community. Having a workplace culture that pushes away people who want to make a difference at the centre will hurt the area, she said.

Doctors Manitoba issued a statement that said physicians have had issues at Klinic for some time.

“The new report validates certain long-standing concerns physicians have raised about their ability to practice safely and effectively at Klinic.

“We urge leadership to take these recommendations seriously and act on them as soon as possible so that health care providers and staff can care for patients in the safe and collaborative environments they all deserve,” said the statement by spokesperson Katiana Krawchenko.

Klinic board chair Kathy Majowski said the board wasn’t aware of the issues with management and safety until it received the letters from staff.

She said consultations with them about the report’s findings have begun, and the board has accepted all recommendations.

“We want to make sure staff are involved and are comfortable providing feedback and helping us every step of the way to make sure their workplace is somewhere they’re excited to go to, not dreading going to work every single day,” Majowski said.

Klinic officials would not say how many employees were placed on leave or had resigned in the last year.

matthew.frank@freepress.mb.ca