Yellowknife (Sep 13/04) - The director of an Edmonton group home says she will seek a restraining order after territorial government workers visited patients there Sept. 3-5.

Tracy Stevens, head of the Aboriginal Partners and Youth Society (APYS), accused Health and Social Services officials of "harassing" her clients during the visit to her facility.

"It's malicious and unethical for government employees to do this," Stevens said from Edmonton on Thursday. "It amounts to mental cruelty. It has had a devastating effect on the clients."

A spokesperson for health and social services said the officials were responding to a request from an APYS patient who wanted a tour of another group home -- Edmonton Integrated Services (EIS). The territorial government signed a contract with EIS after ending its contract with APYS in June. The tug-of-war began when several patients refused to move.

The spokesperson defended the visit, saying the department had a "moral and ethical" obligation to ensure they received the best care possible.

The department cut funding to APYS in June amid allegations of patient abuse and problems with the facility's accreditation.

As of Sept. 1, the territorial government said the patients who remained at APYS were no longer considered residents of the NWT and their medical needs would have to be covered by the province of Alberta.

Stevens launched a civil suit against the territorial government in July, seeking to have her funding restored.

After the officials' visit, four APYS patients moved out of the facility and into Edmonton Integrated Services under the guard of Edmonton police. One of the clients has since returned to APYS.

Stevens said the department's decision to visit the patients at APYS wasn't borne out a sense of responsibility. She suggested the territorial government wanted to damage her lawsuit by preventing her patients from testifying.

Stevens further accused department officials of "brainwashing" and "harassing" the patients and their family members during the visit to Edmonton Integrated Services.

"The minister (of health and social services, Michael Miltenberger) needs to have a serious look at the people he has working for him," Stevens said. "If I have to apply for a restraining order to protect my clients, I will."

Stevens also accused the territorial government of fabricating stories of patient abuse at APYS and told NWT News/North she intends to sue the territorial government for defamation.

"By the time I'm done, I'm going to sue them for millions," she said.

The health and social services spokesperson declined to comment on the allegations of harassment and brainwashing while the civil suit was before the courts.

Two patients from the NWT remain at APYS, said the spokesperson.