Siloam senior staffer worries of mass exodus after CEO hire

Senior leaders at Siloam Mission are warning that a wave of departures could follow if the homeless shelter’s board of directors does not reconsider its decision to hire a new chief executive officer.

“It’s more than a fear,” said Darren Nodrick, Siloam’s director of development since 2022. “There will be a lot of people, good people, smart people, who care a lot about our work, who will leave because they are not aligned with the current direction.”

Nodrick said he felt compelled to come forward after reading a recent Free Press story that put a spotlight on internal strife at the city’s largest homeless shelter. The senior employee said some staff are “scared” to come to work Monday out of fear of reprisal.

Several staff members came forward in a Free Press story Friday alleging newly appointed CEO Sonia Prevost-Derbecker, an Indigenous woman who was formally introduced in the role Feb. 20, made derogatory and demeaning remarks about Indigenous people.

They say she described individuals struggling with substance use as “walking zombies” and characterized the neighbourhood as a “slum,” “ghetto” or “the hood.”

Staff also said they were concerned she had inquired 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.

Nodrick said he did not hear all of the alleged remarks firsthand but trusts those who did. He said he did hear other comments, including a suggestion to build a fence around Siloam’s compound at 300 Princess St.

“It is anti-homelessness infrastructure that would create barriers to service and dignity,” Nodrick said. “It would also create new safety concerns for anyone trapped inside if an incident were to occur.”

Tobi Jolly, a former Siloam board member who moved into the interim director of community wellness role after former CEO Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud left in January 2025, said she heard derogatory comments from Prevost-Derbecker firsthand.

“Having a leader come in and kind of very casually use language that is just not in keeping with that approach… it’s hard to hear, because all of us care about this community.”

“There has been such an emphasis on the way we talk about our community members, the way we think about them,” Jolly said. “Having a leader come in and kind of very casually use language that is just not in keeping with that approach… it’s hard to hear, because all of us care about this community.”

Both Nodrick and Jolly said Siloam cannot function effectively with a leader effectively learning on the job.

“It feels like there are irreconcilable differences,” Jolly said. “There is just so much to know, like housing and housing development, addictions and harm reduction practices, running programming. We can’t have a CEO coming in who is nowhere near where she needs to be on those competencies.

“I don’t think that Sonia isn’t an excellent leader. I don’t think she’s an excellent leader for Siloam.”

A staff member said in an email to the Free Press that the board would not act on anonymous concerns “and has instead focused on whether emails can be tracked and who may be involved in letter writing.”

“This has created a climate of fear among staff, particularly around potential retaliation,” the anonymous staffer said.

Nodrick said a year-long relocation plan for an addictions recovery program is now in jeopardy after a meeting last week with government officials. He said he consulted with Prevost-Derbecker on strategy and direction ahead of that meeting.

“It was her fourth day on the job,” he said, noting he had explained the strategy was shaped by extensive consultation with the lived experience advisory committee, leadership, staff and sector partners.

“She entered that meeting and took it over from the outset and contradicted the strategy and direction of the organization and the entire consultation process and the people that were involved with it,” he said.

The board backed Prevost-Derbecker in a statement Friday, saying it takes concerns about “leadership, cultural respect, and financial stewardship seriously” but has “seen no evidence to substantiate the claims.”

The board said it had full confidence in her leadership and said her questions about programs and finances were reasonable for a new hire.

In an emailed statement Sunday night, Siloam’s board of directors admitted to not facilitating a healthy transition to its new CEO.

“She entered that meeting and took it over from the outset and contradicted the strategy and direction of the organization.”

“The board of directors is deeply concerned for its staff, stakeholders, and the community we serve,” the statement said. “Despite our mitigation efforts, we have not set up a healthy transition for both our staff and our new CEO, Sonia Prevost-Derbecker.

“A number of the concerns expressed to the board predate Sonia’s arrival. Together, we need to address the allegations and identify underlying issues so we can find a way to move forward together.”

Prevost-Derbecker was selected out of a nationwide search that attracted more than 1,100 applicants.

The new CEO was not made available to comment Friday. An additional request for comment was not immediately returned Sunday.

The anonymous staffer took issue with the board’s original response.

“I understand this can be damaging to Siloam’s reputation, but I fear a far worse outcome will result if we continue down this path.”

“The difficulty with this statement is that the board has not asked staff members or directors whether the concerns being raised are accurate,” the staff member said. “They state that there is ‘no evidence,’ but no effort has been made to gather it. On multiple occasions, we have reached out to the board requesting an investigation, and those requests have not been acted upon.”

Despite his concerns about the new CEO and the board’s handling of the situation, Nodrick said he retains “tremendous confidence” in Siloam, but added that the current trajectory is unsustainable.

“I have full confidence in the work of our incredible team, all the way from executive staff to those who work in direct services with our community every single day. They literally save lives,” he said, adding that Siloam needs a CEO that understands the current landscape of homelessness in the city.

“I understand this can be damaging to Siloam’s reputation, but I fear a far worse outcome will result if we continue down this path.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca