Nova Scotia's Department of Community Services is under fire for its role in the closure of an addiction treatment centre in Sydney.

The department is also being blamed for prompting a police investigation into the conduct of a Catholic priest who was the executive director of Talbot House, a facility that aims to help adult men with addictions.

The trouble began in early February when Father Paul Abbass was asked to step aside after a former resident complained to the department, and to other agencies, about his conduct.

The centre's board then referred the matter to police, although it knew little about the specific allegations.

"We were instructed by the Department of Community Services, advised by the Department of Community Services, to contact the police based on the list of allegations that they reported to the board," says board chairman Dr. John Gainer. "We questioned that."

After an investigation into the allegations, Cape Breton Regional Police concluded last week that there was no criminal conduct on the part of Abbass and the Diocese of Antigonish says he can return to his duties as vicar-general and church spokesperson.

"This has been extremely onerous for Father Abbass, and difficult for all of us," says Father Donald MacGillivray, a priest in the diocese. "We are really pleased to have him back among us. He is welcome to come back and resume all of his duties."

However, despite being cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, Abbass is still under fire for how Talbot House was run .

Both Abbass and the board are being criticized for not following policies and procedures introduced in 2008 for Nova Scotia's five recovery houses.

Gainer admits there were problems but he says they were being addressed before the province cut nearly $500,000 in annual funding April 1.

"Our concerns extend to how it was operated in terms of the relationship between the...board itself and the executive director," says Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse.  

The province is now calling for new proposals to operate an addictions recovery centre and the board at Talbot House says it is too early to decide if it will bid on the contract.

Meanwhile, the Liberals are calling an emergency meeting of the legislature's community services committee to get answers about the government's handling of Talbot House.

Abbass has not commented on the case since he resigned from Talbot House in February.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Randy MacDonald