Province ‘cut ties’ with teacher misconduct investigator for working from Florida: Manitoba premier
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Manitoba’s first appointee assigned to investigate inappropriate conduct by teachers has been let go for working out-of province, the premier says.
Bobbi Taillefer’s recent departure as Manitoba’s commissioner of teacher professional conduct was the result of a firing, not a resignation as originally reported by the Winnipeg Free Press on Thursday, Premier Wab Kinew said on Friday.
The Free Press broke the news that Taillefer had been doing the job from Florida, and said the province had previously been unaware she was working remotely.
“What’s been described as a resignation was actually a firing,” Kinew said at an unrelated news conference. “We said, ‘You cannot be in Florida.’ We’re here, the kids are here, the teachers are here. The commissioner needs to be in Manitoba.”
Kinew said Taillefer was given the opportunity by Education Minister Tracy Schmidt to characterize her departure as a resignation.
“They said … the choice is up to you if you want this described as a resignation or a firing. This former commissioner chose to describe it as a resignation, and so we’re happy to do that,” he said.
“But for us, what was happening was not acceptable, so we cut ties.”
CBC News reached out to Taillefer for comment but did not hear back before publication.
WATCH | Premier explains why Manitoba parted ways with commissioner:
Manitoba cuts ties with education commissioner who worked from U.S.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew spoke with reporters Friday about the decision to go “in a different direction” and cut ties with Bobbi Taillefer, the province’s first teacher misconduct commissioner.
She served as a teacher and school principal before working for the Manitoba Teachers’ Society and Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. She was appointed Manitoba’s first independent education commissioner in 2024.
The position was created after amendments to the Education Administration Act in 2023. Those changes enable a commissioner to investigate reports of teacher misconduct made by the public, school boards or employers.
At the time of her appointment in fall 2024, Taillefer said the role is meant to protect children, “making sure teachers have fair systems and that the public has confidence in the education system.”
The commissioner is also tasked with issuing penalties to teachers and producing disciplinary reports that get published online for the public.
Taillefer investigated and penalized several teachers through disciplinary actions that ranged from reprimands and required training to suspensions, outright dismissal and loss of teaching licences.
“Parents, teachers, students, everyone expects somebody who’s fully committed to our province, fully committed to the most important thing, which is keeping our kids safe,” Kinew said.
The premier also suggested there could be data privacy issues associated with the commissioner working abroad.
The CLOUD (Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data) Act, passed by the U.S. in 2018, gives the American government the authority to retrieve data from around the world as long as it is housed on a server owned by a U.S. company.
“Any time data crosses the American border it’s subject to the Patriot Act, and now with this CLOUD Act in the States, there is the ability for American data providers to reach across the Canadian border,” said Kinew.
“So yeah, absolutely, I think that reason is important.”
A spokesperson with the education minister’s office said a search is now underway for Taillefer’s replacement.
