Former employees of Wild Spirit Education in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, claim they are owed tens of thousands of dollars in missing wages. The school is a registered independent school for toddlers, preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1 through 12. It is run by Christa Nelson and licensed by the province but is not government-funded.
Seven former employees spoke to Global News, alleging that over time, Nelson would delay their pay, pay them less than their salary, or not pay them at all. They allege they are short by approximately $40,000.
“Over time, it became significant amounts of times and significant amounts of money. And by the time it’s been almost half a year, and you’re missing multiple thousands of dollars,” said Ella Hagen, a former teacher of Wild Spirit Education.
Former staff claim Nelson would not take action when they would ask about their pay. “We were just met with excuses and blame, and it was very frustrating,” said Jamie Cleveland, a former educational assistant at Wild Spirit Education.
After leaving their positions at Wild Spirit Education, the staff took their concerns to the labour board. The Ministry of Labour Relations stated it “has received several claims from employees at Wild Spirit Education Ltd. for unpaid wages, and the Employment Standards Branch is investigating.”
Cleveland, an employee of nine years, said it wasn’t always like this, adding that she noticed a shift in 2017, when she claims staff were forced to take a pay cut. From then on, she claims she noticed paycheques became inconsistent and turnover increased.
According to Cleveland, former employees had also made monthly insurance payments through Nelson. However, they discovered during a medical emergency that they did not have any insurance. Cleveland also alleged that Nelson had organized a fundraiser through the charity Make it Sow, but months later, the money still had not reached the charity.
A school parent started a GoFundMe page to help those who are missing significant funds. Although the former staff are grateful for the support, they would not recommend Wild Spirit Education to anyone.
Going forward, the former staff say they hope to receive their missing money.
