Siloam staff asked to take workplace culture survey

Employees and select volunteers at Siloam Mission are being asked to weigh in on the organization’s workplace culture through a survey conducted by a third-party human-resources consultant.

The 47-question “workplace culture assessment survey,” distributed Monday by Tipi Legacy HR+, asks participants to weigh in on the culture, practices and behaviours within the embattled organization.

The survey follows weeks of internal tension after new CEO Sonia Prevost-Derbecker took over last month.

Several staff members spoke to the Free Press three weeks ago calling for her removal and the ouster of board chair Tracey Silagy. Employees also called for an independent review of the organization’s executive leadership and board oversight.

Staff alleged that Prevost-Derbecker, formally introduced in the role Feb. 20, made derogatory and demeaning remarks about Indigenous people, individuals struggling with substance use and the neighbourhood surrounding Siloam’s building at 300 Princess St. They also raised concerns about questions she asked about her personal spending authority.

Employees who spoke to the Free Press said Prevost-Derbecker made statements “deeply inconsistent” with Siloam’s values and commitment to vulnerable community members.

Days later, two senior staff members went on the record, warning that a wave of departures could follow if the board did not reconsider its decision to hire Prevost-Derbecker.

Darren Nodrick, who has been Siloam’s director of development since 2022, and Tobi Jolly — a former Siloam board member who became interim director of community wellness in January 2025 — have been placed on administrative leave.

The board has repeatedly defended its decision to hire Prevost-Derbecker following a nationwide search that it says drew more than 1,100 applications.

Amid the ongoing controversy, Siloam postponed a March 14 public event where it was set to release its annual report and take questions from the community, citing “unforseen circumstances.”

“Without specific allegations, a workplace assessment can also effectively determine if there (is) any substance to rumours or vague complaints,” an email to staff said, adding the surveys can help generate recommendations based on the lived experiences of staff and help leadership enact solutions if issues are identified.

The confidential survey includes a mix of scaled responses, from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree,” along with comment boxes without word or character limits to allow for detailed feedback.

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“A workplace assessment is not a fact-finding exercise, which would involve investigation into specific complaints,” the email to staff said. “This is not a workplace investigation.”

Participants are also being offered confidential, in-person interviews with an Tipi HR consultant.

Staff and volunteers are being asked to complete the survey by April 6, with one-on-one interviews scheduled between that day and April 20.

“We have engaged appropriate support for an internal human resources process,” Siloam’s board of directors said in an emailed statement. “To ensure staff can participate fully and confidentially, we are not providing public comment.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott 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.