Manitobans will be able to see disciplinary records of teachers in online registry by next year: minister
Teacher registry, independent commissioner will be in place in 12 months, education minister says
An online registry disclosing whether Manitoba teachers have been found guilty of misconduct is expected to be available by this time next year, the province's education minister says.
The NDP government is following through on legislation from the previous Progressive Conservative administration that will help regulate the teaching profession, Nello Altomare confirmed on Thursday.
"It's a good bill to move forward," the education minister said.
"It's just something that reassures parents, communities, that the people in front of their children are qualified to do what they're doing and also free of any charges that could put into jeopardy children in the classroom."
Bill 35, the Education Administration Amendment Act, passed unanimously last spring — before the PC government was defeated by the NDP in October's election — but the changes haven't taken effect.
Altomare said the province is working toward establishing the teacher registry and appointing the independent commissioner 12 months from now. Some of the policies and regulations for those initiatives will be ready by the fall, he said.
The registry will let the public find information about an educator's teaching certificate, including the date it was issued and its current status, as well as the teacher's educational background.
Child protection group wanted transparency
The online database will also include a record of any disciplinary action taken against teachers — something the Canadian Centre for Child Protection called for in a 2022 report that said all provinces should disclose instances of educator misconduct.
That report found that between 2017 and the end of 2021, 252 current or former school personnel in K-12 schools in Canada committed or were accused of committing sexual offences against students. Another 38 were charged for offences related to child sexual abuse materials.
Some provinces, such as Ontario and British Columbia, already have public registries that let people see whether a teacher has faced discipline.
"We'll learn lessons from other registries in Canada and apply them here," Altomare said, to "create something that will work well for community members [and] work well for teachers as well."
There are similar registries in place for various other professionals in Manitoba, including physicians and lawyers.
Altomare said an independent commissioner will also be in place by January 2025, who will oversee a new discipline process for teachers.
The exact process will be established at a later date, the minister said, but the commissioner will review complaints from the public, school boards and other employers about teacher misconduct and incompetence, and take whatever actions they see fit, including dismissing a complaint or ordering a hearing.
A hearing panel could cancel a teacher's certificate, place limitations or reprimand the teacher.
Altomare said the government will consult with stakeholders before proceeding with various aspects of the law, but he'd like the independent commissioner to have a background in public education, as well as in training and certification for teachers.
'Glad we're moving forward': education critic
After the legislation was introduced last year, it faced pushback from the Manitoba Teachers' Society, which initially decried the bill as "anti-teacher," saying it would expose teachers to frivolous complaints because of an overly broad definition of "misconduct."
The teachers' union also criticized the PC government for including evaluation of teacher competence in a bill primarily focused on addressing misconduct.
MTS also raised issues with a lack of union representation at hearings, but that was rectified before the bill was passed.
The union declined an interview request on Thursday, but president Nathan Martindale said in an email MTS will take part in any future consultations to shape the new law.
Canadian Centre for Child Protection education director Noni Classen wants to be part of the consultation process as well.
She said definitions for what constitutes competency and misconduct, along with details about how complaints are received and reviewed, are among the points to be ironed out.
The centre is "happy the province is taking time to do that and not rushing through that process, as it does need to be done right for the protection of children," said Classen.
She's looking forward to the registry addressing a gap in public knowledge around teacher misconduct in Manitoba.
Hiring bodies already conduct criminal record checks, but those reports don't shed light on any history that falls short of criminal wrongdoing, such as inappropriate communication with a student.
These are "boundary transgressions that any person … would likely find alarming or unacceptable between a teacher and a student," Classen said.
Wayne Ewasko, the Progressive Conservative education critic and Manitoba's former education minister, said he's pleased his party's bill is moving forward, but wishes it wouldn't take 12 months for some aspects to be enacted.
"It's looking like it's going to take a little bit longer than what we would have implemented, but that being said, the priority of students is No. 1, and I'm glad we're moving forward."
Ewasko said he'd like appointing the independent commissioner to be the first step in implementing the legislation, so that other policies are developed from a non-partisan perspective.
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With files from The Canadian Press