Less than a month after its executive director was placed on leave, five members of the senior leadership team at Lighthouse Supported Living have been let go.
In mid-January, Don Windels was removed from his day-to-day role as director with two members of the board, Twila Reddekopp and Jerome Hepfner, taking over his responsibilities.
According to the Lighthouse website, board member Pierre Trudel resigned on Jan. 16, two days before Windels — who also serves on the board — was placed on leave.
The shake-up came after the Saskatoon Fire Department revealed it has found dozens of issues at the shelter during inspections over the past year.
According to former fundraising and communications manager Anna Pacik, she along with four other senior employees were let go on Tuesday.
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Pacik said the employees were "reeling" following their sudden dismissal.
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Reddekopp said the Lighthouse is "going through some operational challenges" but that they will "notaffect the services and support" the organization provides.
Reddekopp said the Lighthouse would not discuss personnel matters.
CTV News has confirmed five of the people dismissed on Tuesday, including Pacik, signed a Jan. 20 letter that called for the province's Dispute Resolution Office to step in after Windels was placed on leave. Nine staff members in total signed the letter.
A series of tweets originating from the Lighthouse's official Twitter account was sent on Tuesday, referencing the firing and criticizing the current board.
Pacik confirmed to CTV News that she was behind the tweets.
With files from Carla Shynkaruk
