If Elizabeth Wettlaufer was fired from a Woodstock long-term care home for multiple medication errors, why was she able to keep working as a nurse?

It’s a question that has never really been answered – not through the court process as Wettlaufer was convicted of eight counts of murder, and not through the College of Nurses of Ontario process that saw Wettlaufer’s nursing licence revoked earlier this week.

Wettlaufer was fired from Caressant Care in 2014. According to court documents, her dismissal was because she wasn’t properly following protocols around insulin – something described as part of a “pattern of behaviours” putting the home’s residents at risk.

Officials with Caressant Care say Wettlaufer had made 10 “workplace violations” over a 2.5-year period, three of which resulted in suspensions prior to her dismissal.

Mark Sandler, a lawyer with the College of Nurses of Ontario, says the college was notified that Wettlaufer had been fired for specific medication errors. He says the college was not made aware of any other issues.

“We were also told by the director of nursing at the time that they didn’t see any underlying concerns or issues, although obviously the issues caused them to terminate her,” Sandler told reporters Tuesday.

Caressant Care officials dispute that account, saying they sent the college a 20-page report outlining their concerns about Wettlaufer.

“Caressant Care has no records indicating that its leadership or staff believed or said (that there were no underlying issues) in response to any inquiry,” the organization said Wednesday in a statement.

Informed of Caressant Care’s comments, a spokesperson for the College of Nurses said Wednesday that the organization stands by Sandler’s statements and will make supporting documentation available to a public inquiry.

The inquiry was called by the province to look into the circumstances around Wettlaufer’s eight murders, all of which occurred in registered long-term care homes. The NDP has argued that it should be an all-encompassing look at Ontario’s long-term care system.

Dr. Doris Grinspun, the CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, says the finger-pointing between Caressant Care and the College of Nurses shows the need for an inquiry where all the facts can be presented.

“In a public inquiry, we need to look (at) exactly what happened, how it happened and what needs to happen differently in the future,” she said in an interview.

With reporting by Nicole Lampa