Latest news with #Fontaine
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Improving accessibility, ‘doing better' the focus, Fontaine says in wake of insensitive remarks caught on microphone
Manitoba's minister responsible for accessibility said Wednesday she's focusing on improving accessibility standards after remarks she made about a sign-language interpreter sparked criticism last month. Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine came under fire after her complaints about the placement of an American Sign Language interpreter at a graduation ceremony she was speaking at were caught on a 'hot mic' by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network June 26. Fontaine has apologized multiple times and committed to staff training. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Minister Nahanni Fontaine announces the 2025-26 Manitoba Accessibility Fund recipients at Sport Manitoba Wednesday. 'When I have these missteps or these mistakes or these moments, I always try to find the teaching and the lessons in it, and then how to move forward in a better way — how to do better,' Fontaine told reporters at a news conference Wednesday morning, announcing the recipients of this year's Manitoba Accessibility Fund. Fontaine, who was accompanied by a sign-language interpreter, said the province is working on hiring two additional ASL specialists. One will be present at any public event involving her department, she said. In the weeks since the incident, a deaf woman has also joined the Matriarch Circle, an advisory body of Indigenous women that consult with the provincial government, she said. The graduation-ceremony incident led to calls from the Opposition Progressive Conservatives to have Fontaine relieved of her accessibility responsibilities. Premier Wab Kinew has stood by her. Earlier this month, Fontaine said amendments to the Accessibility for Manitobans Act would be coming. She said Wednesday that the changes will include financial penalties as a 'last resort' for organizations refusing to implement accessibility standards. 'There are, in those rare, rare instances, (where) people are resistant to compliance, so the community has been asking for many years that there's some financial teeth behind them,' she said. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine speaks to the media, with an ASL translator, after announcing the 2025-26 Manitoba Accessibility Fund recipients at Sport Manitoba. In the wake of Fontaine's comments last month, reporters and others at APTN, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, found themselves blocked from Fontaine's social media. APTN was the first to report the comments. Fontaine refused to say who blocked the reporters, but said the move was reversed. 'I take full responsibility for my office and those folks are no longer blocked,' she said. Manitoba's Accessibility Fund grant program will distribute $820,000 across 33 organizations this year. Among them is Sport Manitoba — the site of Wednesday's announcement — which will receive $5,500 to create and deliver anti-ableism, disability awareness and accessible recreation training. 'Manitoba is privileged to have such a wide range of organizations whose purpose is to serve those within our accessible community,' said facility services manager Sarah Shotton. 'We very much look forward to working with some of these organizations to raise awareness about the vital role that we all play in supporting accessible sport experiences throughout Manitoba.' This year's Manitoba Accessibility Award, which recognizes organizations committed to support for people with disabilities, was presented to the Arts AccessAbility Network of Manitoba. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Arts AccessAbility Network of Manitoba executive director Jenel Shaw said the organization sees accessibility as 'the very foundation of artistic freedom.' Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. The organization has audited venues and theatres to remove barriers and it maintains an online database. Executive director Jenel Shaw said the organization sees accessibility as 'the very foundation of artistic freedom.' 'Disability for us is not a deficit, it's a perspective, a source of insight, beauty and innovation,' she said. 'When we talk about accessibility, we're not just talking about ramps, ASL or print labels, though all of those matter deeply. We're talking about cultural change, about building art spaces where disabled and deaf artists are not only included, but centred.' Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Global News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Global News
Cabinet minister who criticized interpreter says she's focused on doing better
A Manitoba cabinet minister who criticized a sign language interpreter says she is focused on doing better and improving services for people with disabilities. Nahanni Fontaine, the minister responsible for services for people with disabilities, has repeatedly apologized for remarks she made last month while hosting a celebration for Indigenous women graduates. While preparing to speak to reporters after, Fontaine told one of her staff that she was thrown off by a sign language interpreter's presence and that the woman should not have been on stage. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Fontaine held a news conference today to announce $825,000 in grants this year under an annual program that funds groups who help reduce barriers for people with disabilities. Fontaine says work is underway to better enforce accessibility standards, which could mean fines for businesses who fail to have a wheelchair ramp where required by law, for example. Story continues below advertisement She also says her department will have sign language interpreters at all public events and the government will hire two dedicated interpreters to support all departments.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cabinet minister who criticized interpreter says she is focused on doing better
WINNIPEG – A Manitoba cabinet minister who criticized a sign language interpreter says she is focused on doing better and improving services for people with disabilities. Nahanni Fontaine, the minister responsible for services for people with disabilities, has repeatedly apologized for remarks she made last month while hosting a celebration for Indigenous women graduates. While preparing to speak to reporters after, Fontaine told one of her staff that she was thrown off by a sign language interpreter's presence and that the woman should not have been on stage. Fontaine held a news conference today to announce $825,000 in grants this year under an annual program that funds groups who help reduce barriers for people with disabilities. Fontaine says work is underway to better enforce accessibility standards, which could mean fines for businesses who fail to have a wheelchair ramp where required by law, for example. She also says her department will have sign language interpreters at all public events and the government will hire two dedicated interpreters to support all departments. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025
Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Cabinet minister who criticized interpreter says she is focused on doing better
WINNIPEG - A Manitoba cabinet minister who criticized a sign language interpreter says she is focused on doing better and improving services for people with disabilities. Nahanni Fontaine, the minister responsible for services for people with disabilities, has repeatedly apologized for remarks she made last month while hosting a celebration for Indigenous women graduates. While preparing to speak to reporters after, Fontaine told one of her staff that she was thrown off by a sign language interpreter's presence and that the woman should not have been on stage. Fontaine held a news conference today to announce $825,000 in grants this year under an annual program that funds groups who help reduce barriers for people with disabilities. Fontaine says work is underway to better enforce accessibility standards, which could mean fines for businesses who fail to have a wheelchair ramp where required by law, for example. She also says her department will have sign language interpreters at all public events and the government will hire two dedicated interpreters to support all departments. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025
Winnipeg Free Press
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Mess up, fess up, dress up,' properly done
Opinion It's a phrase that is likely familiar to anyone who has worked in the corporate world and undergone media/communications training: 'Mess up, fess up, dress up.' The succinct six-word slogan is an encapsulation of what needs to be done to restore public confidence after a major mistake or transgression has taken place. If followed swiftly and directly, it's strategy that can mitigate damage, reset intentions and allow for the error/misdeed to be left behind while still ensuring its implications are neither forgotten nor ignored. During the past week, NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns), the provincial government's minister of families and minister responsible for accessibility, has delivered an absolute clinic on the application of 'mess up, fess up, dress up.' It's an example politicians of all stripes would do well to observe and, should the need ever arise, emulate. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine Here's how it breaks down: Mess up: the mistake has been made. In Fontaine's well-documented case, while speaking at a June 26 graduation ceremony for Indigenous women, the minister was caught complaining about having to share limited space onstage with an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. The unfortunate and ill-considered 'hot mic' comments were captured and later broadcast by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), resulting in immediate backlash, including demands from the deaf community for government action to combat audism — discrimination against people who are deaf or hard of hearing — and calls from the Opposition Progressive Conservatives for Fontaine's removal from cabinet. Fess up: own up to the mistake. Upon the release of the recording of her comments, Fontaine issued numerous apologies, both verbal and written, directly to the affected parties and to the public at large. She also told the Free Press her office was reaching out to community organizations to listen and learn. (The process of limiting damage and repairing relationships was almost derailed by the revelation that APTN journalists had been blocked from following Fontaine on social media in the wake of the broadcast of her comments; to her credit, however, upon learning of social-media snub, the minister immediately directed her staff to reverse the decision). Dress up: declare publicly what will be done to correct the mistake and ensure no such wrongdoing occurs in the future. Last Sunday, Fontaine followed her earlier apologies with a social-media post announcing she and her staff will undergo deaf and deaf culture training 'to deepen our understanding, confront gaps and ensure our actions reflect true respect and inclusion, not just intention.' Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. The statement, delivered alongside an ASL interpreter, also included a pledge to appoint a deaf or hard of hearing 'matriarch' to join the Matriarch Circle of advisers, hire a dedicated ASL interpreter for all government departments and introduce amendments to the Accessibility for Manitobans Act to enhance protections for the deaf and hard of hearing community. 'I take full responsibility for my words, full stop,' she said in the social-media post. 'I'm human. I made a mistake, but I will do better and I will keep showing up and continue the work of building a truly inclusive Manitoba for everyone.' By promptly following the 'mess up' with what appears to be a sincere effort to fess up and dress up, Fontaine has effectively put a lid on what otherwise could have developed into a controversy with the potential to damage the NDP government. While it remains to be seen how fully the minister follows through on her promises, she has laid the groundwork for a positive outcome after an unfortunate and unnecessary misstep. And in so doing, Fontaine has provided a teachable moment for politicians everywhere.
