An employee of a northern Ontario long-term care home allegedly photographed residents without their consent and shared the images with her fellow coworkers on social media, police said Wednesday.

The alleged incidents took place at Pioneer Manor, a municipally-run facility in Sudbury, Ont., and involved 10 alleged victims, according to officials.

Catherine Matheson, Sudbury's general manager of community development, said the alleged incidents came to light in late June when a staff member came forward about the conduct of five fellow colleagues.

Matheson said the allegations against the five workers involved taking intimate images of residents without their knowledge and sharing them among themselves via Snapchat.

"We take this matter very seriously, and immediate action was taken," Matheson said in a statement. "The five employees were terminated."

Matheson said Pioneer Manor, a long-term care facility serving 433 residents aged 18 and over, reported the incident to various authorities including local police and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

The ministry conducted an inquiry to ensure the facility has taken appropriate steps to protect residents from abuse, a spokesman said. It will also be doing an inspection of Pioneer Manor, David Jensen said.

Pioneer Manor directed all inquiries to the city of Sudbury.

Sudbury police said they began investigating the reports from Pioneer Manor on June 23, adding it laid a single criminal charge on Wednesday.

A 35-year-old woman, whose name was not released, is now charged with one count of distributing intimate images without consent. She is scheduled to appear in court next month.

Police said the other four terminated employees did not distribute the pictures in question.

Matheson said the incident prompted the home to review a number of policies, including ones concerning use of personal cellphones on the job.

"We have over 500 dedicated professionals who take their duties of care very seriously. We are confident that the swift action taken has resolved the matter," she said. "Furthermore, we have retained a third party to provide an independent assessment to ensure that our policies are reflective of the issues posed by technology in the workplace today."