Frustrated families demand changes to Manitoba’s adult abuse registry

Families are demanding change to Manitoba’s adult abuse registry, saying it doesn’t protect vulnerable victims and leaves families in the dark on the process of adding alleged abusers.

Gail Johnson learned in June 2022 her 91-year-old mother, Ramona, was among 15 victims the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority alleged were abused at Oakview Place nursing home after whistleblowers came forward. 

It wasn’t until contacted by CBC that she learned one of the workers had been referred to the abuse registry. However, because the aide was fighting the allegations in court, she wasn’t on it.

“I am at a loss for words. I'm shocked by all this,” said Gail Johnson. “I feel like my mom is being victimized all over again.”

A letter sent to Johnson by the Protection for Persons in Care office in 2023 said  “the incident was founded for abuse,” and it was being referred to the adult abuse registry committee.

Court records show one of the workers, Kumba Mansaray, was referred to the registry in August 2025 — almost four years after the incidents were reported.

Mansaray filed a court application in October challenging her addition to the registry and it is still before the courts. It will be up to a judge to decide whether she should be added to the registry.

Mansaray’s lawyer could not be reached for comment. 

Included in the court filing is the letter of intent sent to Mansaray, where Johnson’s mother is named. It says Mansaray  “abused and neglected” Ramona by squeezing her hands to gain compliance “despite her crying out in pain.”

“She didn't deserve this. She did not deserve the abuse,” said Johnson, whose mother passed away in 2023.

The two aides were fired when the allegations came to light and no longer work at Oakview Place or any other Extendicare home, a spokesperson for the home said.

Johnson isn't the only person feeling frustrated by her experience after a CBC investigation found it was taking years for people to be added to the registry. During that period, there is no way for a potential employer to know a person is under investigation through the registry.

The abuse registry was created in 2013 to give employers in the sector a way to screen out potential employees found to have abused vulnerable people.

Manitoba’s adult abuse registry legislation states that the family is informed when someone is referred to the registry, but no one told Johnson’s family when Mansaray was referred.