Family wants inquest into woman who died at Winnipeg shelter, went unchecked for hours

Family members of a woman who passed away at a Winnipeg shelter and went unchecked for hours, want a provincial inquest held to examine her death, saying they need answers as to why policy and protocol weren’t followed and why the beloved mother and sister was neglected in her final hours.

Cheryl Whitford was at the N’dinawemak shelter when she passed in October of 2022, her body undiscovered for several hours.

CityNews has learned body and breathing checks, supposed to be done every 15 to 30 minutes by staff were not performed. But a source with knowledge of the death tells CityNews they feel if the checks have been done, Cheryl may still be alive today. 

Officials at the shelter confirmed Whitford went unchecked for hours after her death, but who failed to check on Whitford specifically is still a matter of debate, whether it was the responsibility of the SABE peace workers or the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs personnel.

Cheryl’s sister says the loss devastated her family and something must be done, as the people who rely on the shelters are already vulnerable.

“Why didn’t anyone check on her? I mentioned she entered at 1600 hours and she wasn’t checked on until the following day,” said Tannis Whitford,  Cheryl Whitford’s sister. “Like with any other publicly-funded organization, there’s accountability that has to happen.

“We expect certain answers when things like this do happen. And with the shelters that are in place, and with the jobs they are doing, there is a certain level of trust there. If I found myself in that situation, where I were to need shelter, that it’s going to be a safe place. I mean that’s the meaning of shelter, that we are protected.” 

Being remembered as a kind, caring person who loved her family dearly and would advocate for herself and others, Tannis says her sister’s life took a turn after suffering a broken back that required pain medication.

Cheryl Whitford died in a Winnipeg shelter in 2022 and now her family is calling for an inquest into her death to find out why she went unchecked for hours. (Photo Courtesy: Tannis Whitford)

Feeling she was overprescribed and never properly cared for by medical professionals, Tannis says Whitford would become more vulnerable as the injury and pain persisted. 

While she knows the shelter does good work, and many staff members care, she says the fact Whitford was not properly looked after in her time of need has to be examined to prevent future tragedies, saying her sister said there were people at the shelter trying to help her. 

“But that said, there’s many different workers and I understand there are policies that maybe weren’t followed and that need to be looked at. Because we need that consistency across the board.”  

A request for comment on calls for an inquest was not answered by the deadline on Wednesday.

Shelter chairperson Victoria Fisher said in a previous statement, that Whitford’s death and other incidents are being examined.

“We take all concerns seriously and any findings from the review of these incidents will be acted on appropriately and shared with necessary funders and stakeholders, where appropriate.  For the respect of our relatives and the investigation process we cannot speak specifically to any incident being reviewed at this time,” said Fisher.

In a statement Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Bernadette Smith noted her office is inquiring about the death, saying, “My heart goes out to Cheryl Whitford’s loved ones. Underhoused people are often some of the most vulnerable Manitobans. We continue to work with community partners to support those experiencing homelessness and to get more people into safe, stable, long-term housing.”