Registry gets update to include teachers under investigation

Manitoba’s teacher registry is undergoing changes so the public is more in the know when educators are subject to an ongoing investigation.

The province announced the minor regulatory update Thursday, a little over a year after the initial version of the database came online.

“In the past, a teacher could’ve voluntarily surrendered their certificate and that voluntary surrender would not have been reflected on the registry,” Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said in an interview.

The changes apply to teachers and clinicians who have agreed to step away from the classroom as part of a legal undertaking, Schmidt said.

Despite being subject to investigations, these professionals were previously listed as being in good standing.

Temporary suspension notices will now be attached to individual profiles when an investigation is open. Once it’s resolved, the label will be deleted and the teacher may, depending on the result, end up on the disciplinary outcomes list.

The changes, which fall under the Education Administration Act, were made as of Dec. 12.

The minister noted that child protection experts identified them as a gap in the rollout of the original registry.

Schmidt’s office launched an informal advisory council on teacher professional conduct last year to collect feedback. Members are slated to reconvene in the spring.

Cameron Hauseman, an associate professor of educational administration at the University of Manitoba, called the update “a step in the right direction.”

“But… there’s a ways to go for the registry to be as robust and meaningful as it could be,” Hauseman said, noting there is little context provided to accompany the list of teachers and clinicians who’ve been disciplined at present.

Ex-high school teacher and football coach Kelsey McKay is simply listed as having had his licence “cancelled” on June 19, 2024.

McKay is serving 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to nine counts of sexual assault and two counts of luring that involved nine teenage victims he coached.

A total of 85 teaching certificates were cancelled between 1990 and 2025, according to the registry.

The registry’s teacher profiles include current and former names, as well as their pay class and certificate standing. These profiles include limitations or conditions on an individual’s licence.

Hauseman, a former teacher, has been calling on the province to bolster these profiles so they outline a teacher’s training with regards to grade level and subject area.

Schmidt said she’s open to making further updates, although the province needs to balance “employment privacy.”

“We are trying to provide as much transparency, accountability and information as we can,” the minister said.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca