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Winnipeg Free Press
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
First school year of cellphone ban well-received: minister
Sweeping restrictions on cellphone use in schools are here to stay, despite frustrations related to inconsistent enforcement and student workarounds during the 2024-25 rollout. Manitoba banned phones in elementary classrooms last summer and introduced new rules to silence devices and keep them out of sight during Grade 9 to 12 lessons. 'How practical is that going to be in the real world? AI exists. Cellphones exist. Banning them is only going to make us sneakier,' said Diana Bonakdar, who just finished Grade 11 in Winnipeg. Diana and Nadia Lovallo, the new co-presidents of the student council at St. Mary's Academy, question the effectiveness of the policy and its long-term impact. 'It scares people, but it doesn't stop them. We just find other ways to connect,' Nadia said, noting that school administrators blocked access to Snapchat on the campus WiFi network so teenagers started using VPNs (virtual private networks) to access the app. 'We're addicted to our phones. We grew up with them, so it's like telling someone to, 'Just quit smoking,' right away,' she said. Reflecting on the policy on the first official day of summer break, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said her office received overwhelmingly positive feedback about it. The mother of three acknowledged that students found ways to sneak phones, but she suggested this 'slippage' demonstrates the addictive nature of the devices and the importance of keeping restrictions in tact. 'For me, it just really reinforces the need for us as government and as educators and as schools to really step in and help kids find that balance,' Schmidt said. The minister indicated that school leaders attributed the new rules on accessing devices to increased levels of student engagement and greater in-person discussion and laughter on kindergarten-to-Grade 12 campuses. Multiple high school teachers told the Free Press that consistent enforcement backed by the principal of a school was key to the policy's hyperlocal success, or else students shrugged off the rules. 'Teachers set a standard. Kids learn which teachers have what standards. They know the ones who are wishy-washy and bad at classroom management, or are trying to be friends with the kids,' said one teacher who wanted his name withheld from print for fear of retribution. He indicated that differing opinions about whether cellphones had a place in his school caused tension among staff members. Some teachers were strict while others openly used their phone during the day, the teacher said. The president of the Manitoba Teachers' Society said in a statement Monday that members' thoughts on the new approach to devices were 'largely positive.' 'Some teachers use technology much more than others, and not all teachers use technology or need to monitor it in the same ways,' said union leader Lillian Klausen, who represents upwards of 16,600 public school teachers. High school teachers were permitted to allow phones during class periods this year if it was strictly for educational purposes. The rules also allowed teenagers in most high schools to access their phones during breaks. (That was not the case at St. Mary's Academy, as senior years students were asked to be leaders for their younger peers and follow the same rules as the grade 7 and 8 students.) Executive members of the Manitoba Association of Education Technology Leaders have repeatedly expressed hesitation about the partial phone ban since it was announced. The self-imposed mandate of the organization is to 'promote and publicize the effective acquisition, organization, deployment, and integration of technology' in local schools. Association president Richard Roberts warned about the 'out of sight, out of mind' phenomenon. 'Knowing that they have cellphones in their pockets, whether it's secretly at school or it's once they go home, are we actively educating them to be responsible, well-balanced citizens?' said Roberts, a teacher and technology integration consultant in Winnipeg. Roberts said all students need to develop a skill-set to leverage technology and use it in an ethical way. For that reason, he said he would love to see the province give middle years teachers more autonomy next year to integrate phones back into lesson periods on a case-by-case basis to improve digital literacy education. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie 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.
Hamilton Spectator
03-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Wildfire-affected schools exempt from Grade 12 exams: province
Grade 12 provincial tests and other end-of-year exams hang in the balance as displaced teachers and teenagers wait out wildfire threats in northern Manitoba. But smoky skies and school closures did not deter dozens of students from showing up to finish their first round of high-stakes tests in Norway House Cree Nation. Classes at the only high school in Norway House have been cancelled since Wednesday to accommodate an influx of evacuees from Pimicikamak Cree Nation and urge students to stay inside due to poor air quality. The disruptions at Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre — a makeshift emergency shelter, between Wednesday and Saturday — were announced part-way through a multi-day 40S English Language Arts exam. Principal Curtis Tootoosis said he was impressed that, despite all the chaos, more than 40 students showed up to complete the exam at improvised classrooms set up off campus Friday. The size of the class of 2025 is anticipated to be in the mid- to high-40s. 'I feel very proud and very proud of the staff — they stepped up and we got compliments from our guests, we'll call them, about the service and that,' the principal of the nursery-to-Grade 12 school said. Teachers worked overtime to put out gym mats, cots and donated mattresses for visitors from Pimicikamak (Cross Lake). The temporary visitors left over the weekend to find more permanent accommodation in Winnipeg and elsewhere. More than 2,000 hot meals — prepared by students in the culinary arts program and staff members — were served to evacuees during their stay. 'The hope is that the kids are back in classes as soon as possible. Everyone wants to provide consistent scheduling,' said Natalie Majcher, president of the Frontier Teachers' Association, a local of the Manitoba Teachers' Society that represents educators in Norway House, Pimicikamak and surrounding communities. The Frontier School Division spans the largest geographic area in Manitoba. Roughly 675 students and 115 school employees were affected by wildfires burning within its borders as of Monday afternoon. Lynn Lake and Cranberry Portage were among a handful of communities under mandatory evacuation orders as of Monday afternoon. Others continued to closely monitor air quality from wildfire-impacted areas. Manitoba Education has informed school divisions that students from communities affected by wildfires are exempt from Grade 12 exams. A spokesperson for the department told the Free Press that any decision to have students rewrite exams will be left to the discretion of their division. 'This is a very fluid situation that is wrought with emotion,' said superintendent Tammy Ballantyne, who oversees the education of nearly 900 students in Flin Flon School Division. While Frontier is assessing exams on a case-by-case basis, Flin Flon has a universal exemption 'at this point,' Ballantyne said. 'We continue to be optimistic that we will be able to return home and finish out the school year.' All four area schools have been shuttered until at least June 9; Ballantyne plans to re-evaluate the situation later this week. Grade 1 teacher Christine Williams and her family arrived at a friend's farm in Portage la Prairie at 4 a.m. on Thursday. 'I'm thinking about report cards and I need to write them and my head is in no space to be thinking about writing report cards and all those kinds of things,' she said. Williams and her colleagues at an elementary school in Flin Flon have revived the group chat they started during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said there are many parallels to the class cancellations in 2020 but at least then they were all in the same time zone, in the comfort of their own homes and had access to teaching materials. The teachers are currently seeking refuge across four provinces (Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario). In addition to feeling anxious about the future of her hometown, the teacher said she's worried about the students she hasn't been able to connect with online. She does not know where all of them landed. The ones who have been in touch and have loved ones who are firefighters back in Flin Flon are grappling with 'big anxieties,' Williams said. 'My heart goes out to them (the paid and volunteer emergency responders). I really hope we get home and can celebrate together as community.' Winnipeg school operations were also affected by the wildfires on Monday, albeit by a far lesser extent. Teachers across the city moved recess indoors and cancelled outdoor extracurriculars due to smoky conditions. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
03-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wildfire-affected schools exempt from Grade 12 exams: province
Grade 12 provincial tests and other end-of-year exams hang in the balance as displaced teachers and teenagers wait out wildfire threats in northern Manitoba. But smoky skies and school closures did not deter dozens of students from showing up to finish their first round of high-stakes tests in Norway House Cree Nation. Classes at the only high school in Norway House have been cancelled since Wednesday to accommodate an influx of evacuees from Pimicikamak Cree Nation and urge students to stay inside due to poor air quality. The disruptions at Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre — a makeshift emergency shelter, between Wednesday and Saturday — were announced part-way through a multi-day 40S English Language Arts exam. Principal Curtis Tootoosis said he was impressed that, despite all the chaos, more than 40 students showed up to complete the exam at improvised classrooms set up off campus Friday. The size of the class of 2025 is anticipated to be in the mid- to high-40s. 'I feel very proud and very proud of the staff — they stepped up and we got compliments from our guests, we'll call them, about the service and that,' the principal of the nursery-to-Grade 12 school said. Teachers worked overtime to put out gym mats, cots and donated mattresses for visitors from Pimicikamak (Cross Lake). The temporary visitors left over the weekend to find more permanent accommodation in Winnipeg and elsewhere. 'The hope is that the kids are back in classes as soon as possible. Everyone wants to provide consistent scheduling.'– Natalie Majcher, president of the Frontier Teachers' Association More than 2,000 hot meals — prepared by students in the culinary arts program and staff members — were served to evacuees during their stay. 'The hope is that the kids are back in classes as soon as possible. Everyone wants to provide consistent scheduling,' said Natalie Majcher, president of the Frontier Teachers' Association, a local of the Manitoba Teachers' Society that represents educators in Norway House, Pimicikamak and surrounding communities. The Frontier School Division spans the largest geographic area in Manitoba. Roughly 675 students and 115 school employees were affected by wildfires burning within its borders as of Monday afternoon. Lynn Lake and Cranberry Portage were among a handful of communities under mandatory evacuation orders as of Monday afternoon. Others continued to closely monitor air quality from wildfire-impacted areas. Manitoba Education has informed school divisions that students from communities affected by wildfires are exempt from Grade 12 exams. A spokesperson for the department told the Free Press that any decision to have students rewrite exams will be left to the discretion of their division. 'This is a very fluid situation that is wrought with emotion,' said superintendent Tammy Ballantyne, who oversees the education of nearly 900 students in Flin Flon School Division. While Frontier is assessing exams on a case-by-case basis, Flin Flon has a universal exemption 'at this point,' Ballantyne said. 'We continue to be optimistic that we will be able to return home and finish out the school year.' 'This is a very fluid situation that is wrought with emotion.'– Flin Flon School Division superintendent Tammy Ballantyne All four area schools have been shuttered until at least June 9; Ballantyne plans to re-evaluate the situation later this week. Grade 1 teacher Christine Williams and her family arrived at a friend's farm in Portage la Prairie at 4 a.m. on Thursday. 'I'm thinking about report cards and I need to write them and my head is in no space to be thinking about writing report cards and all those kinds of things,' she said. Williams and her colleagues at an elementary school in Flin Flon have revived the group chat they started during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said there are many parallels to the class cancellations in 2020 but at least then they were all in the same time zone, in the comfort of their own homes and had access to teaching materials. The teachers are currently seeking refuge across four provinces (Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario). In addition to feeling anxious about the future of her hometown, the teacher said she's worried about the students she hasn't been able to connect with online. She does not know where all of them landed. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. 'My heart goes out to them (the paid and volunteer emergency responders). I really hope we get home and can celebrate together as community.'– Grade 1 teacher Christine Williams The ones who have been in touch and have loved ones who are firefighters back in Flin Flon are grappling with 'big anxieties,' Williams said. 'My heart goes out to them (the paid and volunteer emergency responders). I really hope we get home and can celebrate together as community.' Winnipeg school operations were also affected by the wildfires on Monday, albeit by a far lesser extent. Teachers across the city moved recess indoors and cancelled outdoor extracurriculars due to smoky conditions. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘No agendas, no secrets'
Manitoba teachers have voted in a new union executive led by a francophone educator who has pledged to renew the embattled organization with a 'no secrets' philosophy. The 2025 annual general meeting of the Manitoba Teachers' Society wrapped up over the weekend with the election of president Lillian Klausen. Klausen has taught French-language courses in rural, northern and, most recently, Winnipeg, throughout her 30-year career. She was president of Éducatrices et éducateurs francophones du Manitoba – the francophone counterpart to her latest role – from 2020 to 2024. Since then, Klausen been working for the River East Transcona School Division and in a part-time union role. 'I'm very hopeful for a renewed Manitoba Teachers' Society and great things moving forward. In practise, (that will involve) honest communication,' she said in an interview Wednesday. 'It's about being open and honest and everybody knowing what we're working on and what we're doing moving forward — no agendas, no secrets. We're just looking to make the best decisions for the society.' Within hours of the union's latest elections, Klausen and her colleagues on the MTS provincial executive, better known as PX, selected an executive director. The union's operational wing had been without a permanent chief of staff since November 2023. The last 18 months have been marked by significant turnover, rampant infighting and low morale, and multiple investigations into workplace culture at MTS headquarters on Portage Avenue. Two people served in interim roles after the last executive director initially went on a leave. Danielle Fullan Kolton submitted her resignation, one of a handful of recent high-profile exits, at the end of December. Her successor, Arlyn Filewich, has worked in various roles at MTS since leaving the front lines of the teaching profession in 2014. More than 330 delegates, representing 16,600 public school teachers, were registered for the 2025 AGM between May 21 to 24. They chose Joel Swaan, a teacher from Winkler-based Garden Valley School Division, to be the new MTS vice-president. Klausen said she's confident in the overhauled leadership team and the new and old faces that are on it. Her first major project is to meet with the 38 local chapter presidents of MTS, she said. The new president drove to Saskatoon on Sunday to meet with her counterparts from other Canadian jurisdictions to discuss challenges faced by teachers across the country. Recruitment and retention, as well as aggressive student behaviours in classrooms, were the hot topics, she said. MTS is finalizing internal working groups to brainstorm solutions to local workplace concerns — a project that began under former president Nathan Martindale. Amid the chaos at MTS headquarters, Martindale oversaw the ratification of the union's first provincial collective agreement and lobbied the government to establish its new universal school meal program. He decided not to run for re-election and plans to return to a classroom in the Winnipeg School Division in the fall. As his two-year term came to a close, Martindale told the Free Press he was hopeful his successors would carry on a campaign to counter anti-Indigenous racism, transphobia and other 'hateful rhetoric' at school board meetings. 'We have a responsibility, as teachers, to push back,' he said last week. Martindale indicated the union was gearing up to mobilize its locals to do more public education on trusteeship ahead of the 2026 municipal races. Klausen echoed those comments on Wednesday, saying MTS will search for community members who share the union's values and encourage them to run for office next year. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
23-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Leadership issues dominate opening session of teachers' union AGM
Manitoba teachers want answers about how their top union officials plan to bring about stability at their Portage Avenue headquarters after 'a rough year.' More than 330 delegates are registered to take part in the 106th annual general meeting of the Manitoba Teachers' Society this week. Formal proceedings kicked off Thursday morning with an impromptu debate related to the organization being without a permanent executive director to oversee the day-to-day operations of supporting 16,600 members. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES The Manitoba Teachers Society building in Winnipeg. Three different people have served in that role over the last 18 months, a period during which MTS has grappled with infighting and low morale among support staff, as well as multiple workplace investigations. 'It's time that we have a properly appointed leader of this organization,' Cale Dunbar of the Brandon Teachers Association told hundreds of colleagues packed into a conference room in downtown Winnipeg. 'This room is the highest authority — in all of our bylaws, we are the body that controls the future of MTS — and I think everybody in this room has a right to know what's happened and what's going to happen to make sure that we have an executive director quickly, moving forward.' Dunbar requested the multi-day meeting agenda be amended to include an in-camera session to discuss leadership matters on the final morning of the four-day event. The AGM runs Wednesday through Saturday at the RBC Convention Centre. Speaking in support of his motion, the Brandon-based teacher said it had been 'a rough year' for the union and its reputation due to 'staff turmoil' and media coverage of it. MTS hired a third party at the start of the school year to conduct a workplace audit to respond to complaints about office culture, harassment and morale issues. A summary of Richter Consulting's findings and recommendations have been shared with administrative staff who are represented by Teamsters Local 979. 'The process is moving in the right direction…. We look forward to continuing to work with MTS leadership after the AGM to build a healthier work environment,' Teamsters Canada spokesman Christopher Monette said in a statement. Monette said turnover in management has helped ease tensions. Executive director Danielle Fullan Kolton announced her resignation in December after a 13-month leave, around the same time as the chief financial officer and another high-ranking manager. MTS president Nathan Martindale also revealed he would not be seeking re-election during the winter break. Teamsters said seven of 13 grievances it has filed since 2023 have been resolved through arbitration. 'Additionally, members who filed individual grievances will be receiving a formal apology letter from the organization,' Monette said. Dunbar told the AGM that teachers have questions about internal operations and allowing them to ask them in private is most appropriate. Members know little other than a search committee to find a new executive director was formed, he noted. His motion passed with overwhelming support, but not without Dunbar being questioned about his intentions and the point of holding such a session. There have been two different temporary executive directors since Fullan Kolton went on leave in November 2023. Glen Anderson, the latest interim leader, declined to comment on the ongoing search to replace him, saying the matter is with the provincial executive, better known as PX. PX is made up of a president, vice-president and members-at-large who are elected by the membership. Teacher-delegates will cap off their 2025 annual general meeting with elections Saturday to replace seven departing PX members. The union's outgoing president is returning to the front lines of his profession to teach elementary schoolers in Winnipeg in the fall. Martindale said in an interview that it is 'an exciting time' for the union because a leadership shakeup is on the horizon. 'It's a sign of an engaged membership that we have multiple people running for all the different spots,' he said. The union leader said he could not disclose any details about hiring or the results of a recent third-party probe into labour concerns raised by MTS employees, many of whom field teacher complaints about their workplaces and advocate for them. Martindale said those matters have been discussed by PX in private. An internal workforce survey, which was conducted by Teamsters in 2023, found most of its members who run day-to-day operations at MTS felt their office was not a psychologically safe place and was being run by incompetent managers. Sixty per cent of respondents disclosed they feared sanctions from their bosses. Eight in 10 of them said they considered the then-executive team to be 'inept in conflict resolution.' Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. After those results made headlines, a group of local union executives penned an unusual letter to PX on March 7, 2024 to urge it undertake an inquiry to expose whistleblowers. Multiple signatories — Jonathan Waite, Jamie Shuhyta and Mervat Yehia — are currently mounting campaigns for PX. Waite, who is based out of the Seine River School Division, is running for president. He is up against Garden Valley teacher Joel Swaan and Lillian Klausen, who is currently at the helm of the teachers' society's francophone counterpart. All of the three nominees are experienced union representatives. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie 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.
