Manitoba·NewA manager at an assisted-living facility in Selkirk, Man., is feeling angry and scared for the buildings’ residents after she says a rash of thefts were allegedly carried out by a home-care worker from the health region. About $1,000 and valuables reported missing at Woodland Courts, Cambridge House in recent months: managerLauren Scott · CBC News · Posted: Nov 24, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 6 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A manager at the Woodland Courts assisted-living facility and Cambridge House retirement residence in Selkirk alleges that a home-care worker stole money and valuables from at least eight residents between the two connected buildings. (Warren Kay/CBC)A manager at a retirement home and assisted-living facility in Selkirk, Man., is feeling angry and scared for the buildings’ residents after she says a rash of thefts were allegedly carried out by a home-care worker from the health region. Christina Stark, residence manager of the Woodland Courts assisted-living facility and Cambridge House retirement residence, said at least eight residents between the two connected buildings reported missing money or valuables — including wedding rings — in recent months. She estimates about $1,000 went missing in total.”I’m angry. I’m scared for my residents,” Stark said. The first report of missing money came from a resident’s family in late July or early August, Stark said. She said staff looked back on security cameras and noticed an unfamiliar man going in and out of the building. An access code is required to enter the facility. But she said the facility’s regular home-care workers, who are hired externally by the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, confirmed he worked with them. Stark said it was unclear if this was an internal family issue at this point. About a month ago, loved ones of another resident came to Stark on two separate occasions last month, claiming that money was missing. Stark said she started her own investigation by planting money. On Nov. 10, Christina Stark said she received an email from a resident’s family showing that a home-care worker had entered the man’s suite multiple times a day between Nov. 6 to Nov. 10, including at 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., while he would have been asleep. (Alexander Raths / Shutterstock)Then on Nov. 10, she received an email from a family member with images showing the same home-care worker entering a resident’s suite multiple times a day between Nov. 6 to Nov. 10, including at 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., while the resident would have been asleep. The family had installed a motion detector that snapped pictures on the resident’s doorway because he’s a wandering risk, Stark said. The family member “wanted to know why he would be in the room so often, and through all hours of the day and night,” Stark said. “He was consistently going into at least that one particular suite on camera regularly while the man was sleeping, with the flashlight on his phone going through his room and his coat pockets that were hanging on the door,” she said. She said security cameras showed the man entering and exiting the building, and going in and out of suites while residents were out at lunch or bingo. Stark said several residents reported a man in their room with a flashlight, but facility staff “didn’t put it together” because the worker alleged to be responsible was with the home-care team. But he was not scheduled to work over the five-day period he was pictured entering and exiting a resident’s suite earlier this month, Stark said. And the home-care team doesn’t usually work past 10 p.m., she said. “I called him into the boardroom and confronted him with the images and asked him to give me one good reason why he would be in our rooms at 2:30 and 3:30 in the morning. He was blank, non-responsive,” Stark said. She asked him to leave and called police. RCMP confirmed police received a report of thefts at the Annie Street assisted living facility on Nov. 11, with two further theft reports filed since then. No arrests have been made, police said, and officers are still investigating. Stark said they don’t have proof that the home-care worker is the one responsible for the alleged thefts, but she has a gut feeling. “We didn’t see him take it, but obviously he was doing something shady. You could tell in the images that we got on camera. He has no reason to be in a building, in this building, in a suite at 2:30 and 3:30 in the morning, no matter what,” Stark said. When asked by CBC News if the employee in question is still working or on leave, the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority said in an emailed statement that it is “unable to comment on HR matters.”The health authority said it “treats criminal activity very seriously,” and is “taking immediate and appropriate action.” Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of national seniors’ advocacy organization CanAge, says taking advantage of vulnerable individuals in an assisted living setting is the “worst kind of exploitation.” “These are people that you trust with your body. These are people who you trust with your most intimate care. These are the people who you trust to keep you safe, and these are the very people that are making you unsafe and exploiting you,” Tamblyn Watts said. CanAge CEO Laura Tamblyn Watts says ‘These are the people who you trust to keep you safe, and these are the very people that are making you unsafe and exploiting you.’ (Tina MacKenzie/CBC)She said assisted living facilities and long-term care homes are often stretched very thin, with limited security, so she’s not surprised that a family’s own motion-sensor camera captured the worker’s concerning behaviour. Tamblyn Watts said it’s worthwhile for families and facilities to consider ways that “supportive technology” can keep older adults safe and healthy in congregate homes. She said it’s also important for facilities with vulnerable clients to do extensive background checks for staff that check records across multiple jurisdictions. Staff are currently required to provide a criminal record check to IERHA as part of home-care worker job applications.Meanwhile, residents should have access to a safe, secure place to keep their valuables within their suite, Tamblyn Watts said, like a safe or lock box, for example. Stark said the codes to Woodland Courts and Cambridge House have been changed. She said the building is “upping security to the fullest extent” and more surveillance cameras have been ordered. “I’m heartbroken that this happened … and we’ll do all that we can to prevent this from happening again,” she said. ABOUT THE AUTHORLauren Scott is a Winnipeg-based reporter with CBC Manitoba. They hold a master’s degree in computational and data journalism, and have previously worked for the Hamilton Spectator and The Canadian Press.With files from Gavin Axelrod
Manager at Selkirk assisted-living facility ‘heartbroken’ after care worker allegedly stole from residents
