Posted September 16, 2025
During the week of September 8, Women’s Health Clinic made headlines due to the resignation of its five-year Executive Director, who cited an environment tainted by “toxicity and latent and overt racism and white privilege”.
Women’s Health Clinic staff includes 30 valuable MAHCP members who work as counsellors, educators, dietitians, and in other important roles. Their experience with WHC has been marred by ongoing difficult and high-risk circumstances which they brought to our attention in 2023.
Workplace Safety and Health received a complaint from a staff member in March 2023 and conducted an investigation that included a site visit. The Labour Department issued an “improvement order” listing 10 areas — including issues of violence and harassment — that the clinic needed to address to improve working conditions, a provincial spokesperson confirmed.
MAHCP stands with our members. Since January 2024, MAHCP has been pushing Women’s Health Clinic to undertake meaningful and urgent actions to improve the workplace culture, promote psychological and physical safety, and rebuild trust.
With little action to date, MAHCP President Jason Linklater took our concerns and recommendations directly to the WHC Board of Directors in a letter on September 15. We are hopeful for positive change and want to be a key driver in supporting this process. A critical step will be for the Board to conduct a thorough search for a new Executive Director who is the right fit to lead WHC.
The employer has much work to do to rebuild relationships with staff. Our members are vital to community health, and they deserve an environment that reflects WHC’s stated values of equity, respect, and inclusion.
Thank you to all Women’s Health Clinic staff for your strength, advocacy, and ongoing dedication to excellent client care during this challenging time.