CEO of B.C. non-profit housing provider steps down following damning review
Janice Abbott, the CEO of British Columbia housing operator Atira Women's Resource Society, is stepping down.
Monday's announcement of Abbott's resignation comes after an audit released last week that found that Shayne Ramsay – Abbott's husband and the former CEO of BC Housing – had breached conflict of interest rules when it came to Atira.
A statement from the board of Atira said Abbott's resignation is effective immediately and thanked her for her 31 years of leadership.
"The focus for the board now is working collaboratively with the B.C. government and BC Housing, and restoring the public’s confidence in Atira’s integrity, vision, mission, purpose and values," the statement from board chair Elva Kim said.
"The board and staff at Atira are deeply committed to serving and protecting women and children and providing much-needed housing. We are confident that this path forward will allow us to focus on the essential work with fewer distractions," it continued.
Abbott has not spoken publicly since the report was released. She has not issued any statements or responded to requests for an interview.
At an unrelated news conference, Premier David Eby responded to the resignation. He pointed out BC housing asked for several things, like a financial audit, operational review and new leadership.
“We have to ensure that the public has confidence about where every dollar went, that the buildings are running as effectively as possible and that we're moving in a good direction before we can talk about any expansion of programs or Atira be eligible to bid on new contracts available through BC Housing,” added Eby.
The premier said KPMG would conduct the financial audit, and the inspections of Atira buildings had begun, though Eby didn’t have an update on any findings.
Atira’s board is cooperating with the province, a different tone than last week when they stood by the CEO and refused to fire her, despite pressure from the province and BC Housing.
The forensic review of BC Housing found that Ramsay had breached conflict of interest rules two dozen times, deleted text messages, and that meeting minutes had been altered after the fact to omit opposition.
Ramsay stepped down as CEO last year.
In 2016, Atira received $17 million from the province. In 2022, it received $74 million – $35 million more than the second-most funded provider, the review said, adding that it had identified serious concerns about the "rigour" and "diligence" exercised at BC Housing.
Funding to Atira has been frozen in the wake of the damning report and the province has said it will review the non-profit's books and inspect its buildings. The organization has also returned nearly $2 million in surplus funds to the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
WATCH Why today's inflation numbers are good if you have a mortgage
New inflation data is 'welcome news' for consumers and an economist says it could signal the possibility for a interest rate cut as several core measures also continue to ease.
'Miscommunication' Liberals say of Speaker Fergus event invite Conservatives call partisan
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is facing fresh Conservative-led calls to resign, this time over "very partisan" and 'inflammatory' language used – the Liberals say mistakenly – to promote an upcoming event.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Loblaw boycott organizers say they plan to keep movement going past May
The organizers of a month-long boycott of Loblaw-owned stores say they've decided to extend the boycott past May.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Winnipeg trial hears admitted serial killer searched web for serial killer definition
The trial of a Winnipeg man who has admitted to killing four women has heard he searched the internet to look up the definition of what it means to be a serial killer.