CancerCare looking for next leader of troubled health agency

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This article was published 07/02/2025 (268 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CancerCare Manitoba put out a call this week for someone to navigate the critical health agency through a turbulent period involving allegations of a toxic work environment.

Advertisements for the position of president and CEO were made public Thursday, three months after Dr. Sri Navaratnam — who has held the role since 2014— announced her intention to leave when her contract expires in December.

The public plea for applications comes amid a moment of upheaval within province’s health sector, which saw the heads of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Shared Health turfed in the wake of independent financial audits.

“There is no question the culture in health care has to improve,” a spokesperson for Doctors Manitoba told the Free Press.

“We would note the two organizations targeted… are not unique when it comes to concerns about culture and leadership, and in fact they aren’t the organization for which we have received a high volume of concerns over the last year.”

Data collected by Doctors Manitoba, which represents physicians across the province, found CancerCare doctors reported the highest levels of distress, burnout and perceived mistreatment from leaders across all regional health authorities.

The survey included responses from 1,145 members. It found 72 per cent of physicians felt distressed, while 51 per cent experienced burnout and 36 per cent reported mistreatment from leadership.

The figures are above the provincial averages of 54 per cent, 46 per cent and 21 per cent in each category, respectively.

Doctors Manitoba pointed to some of the audit’s findings, saying those validate issues highlighted in the physician survey.

The audit found high vacancy levels, predominantly in front-line positions, is hindering the sustainability of services. It said the agency has encountered challenges in delivering services, primarily stemming from difficulty retaining and recruiting medical staff.

CancerCare has operated in a fiscal deficit (considering both operating and capital) in delivering its existing services for four out of the five years from 2019 to 2023, the audit said.

Fiscal deficits were a feature of all but one of Manitoba’s health regions over that time period, as they unanimously grapple with rising wages and other inflationary pressures, the audit said.

In a statement Friday, a CancerCare spokesperson said the agency welcomed the audit and will spend time reviewing its recommendations.

”We are and will continue to be committed to providing the best care for all Manitobans with cancer and blood disorders,” the statement said.

Doctors Manitoba said physicians will be reassured by the government’s signal that front-line culture must improve — made evident by the executive firings — but it questioned whether enough action was being taken at CancerCare.

“We can confirm that we have received calls from several doctors at CCMB concerned that it appeared (Wednesday) that there was no recognition of the extreme workplace challenges and toxicity there because it appears there was no action being taken by as part of the government response or its board of directors,” the spokesperson said.

Asked why CancerCare was not included in this week’s executive shakeup, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said it’s because change there is already underway.

“They are currently actively recruiting for a new CEO. They’ve put their committees together — full of experts and folks who need to be a part of that process — and they’re very excited to get that new CEO in place,” Asagwara said at an unrelated news conference.

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Doctors Manitoba published a scathing report in December detailing a months-long review of CancerCare that revealed a “high level of moral distress” inside the agency.

That document included recommendations for leadership, including rebuilding trust, improving physician engagement and focusing on physician well-being.

Doctors Manitoba said it has “not yet received a substantive response to the concerns.”

“We remain open to meeting with CCMB leadership about the report and, most importantly, finding a constructive path forward to improving the work environment for physicians, to ensure they have the support they need to provide exceptional patient care,” the spokesperson said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.