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![\"RUTH](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4128933_web1_250818-Bobbi-Taillefer-5-.jpg\")
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RUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
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Bobbi Taillefer has abruptly resigned.<\/p>\n
The sudden gap in leadership leaves the handling of ongoing and highly sensitive investigations into teacher misconduct in question. However, Schmidt insisted Thursday that there would be \u201cabsolutely no interruption in service,\u201d noting that a team of investigators remains in office and an active search for an interim commissioner is underway.<\/p>\n
Schmidt cited \u201cprivate personnel matters\u201d when declining to provide further details on Taillefer\u2019s departure but insisted that getting a Manitoba-based replacement is a primary focus.<\/p>\n
\u201cA commitment to Manitoba is very important,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want not only every Manitoba child to be safe at school, we want every Manitoban to have full confidence that our government is making this a top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Free Press had received multiple credible tips that Taillefer was performing her duties for the Manitoba government outside of the country.<\/p>\n
When contacted in late March about working in Florida, Taillefer did not explicitly deny being in the U.S. Instead, she pointed to her employment agreement, replying in an email: \u201cthe contract allows for my arrangement to work remotely as long as the work is done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taillefer said she was providing support to a family member who suffered a stroke in Ontario, but claimed to return to Manitoba for at least a week each winter month. She emphasized that she met with her team weekly via video call, adding: \u201cWhether I work remotely or I am in the office, I follow the highest government security provisions at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n
A copy of her employment agreement obtained by the Free Press shows no explicit clause authorizing out-of-country operations. However, her $80,000 annual salary includes \u201call expenses associated with travel and parking to the office location provided by Manitoba.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taillefer, the former head of several provincial teacher unions, including the Manitoba Teachers\u2019 Society, did not respond to an email Thursday requesting comment on her resignation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI became aware at the same time you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the province scrambles to replace Taillefer, critics argue that the absentee leadership undermines the core mission of the registry.<\/p>\n
Both Cameron Hauseman, an associate professor of educational administration at the University of Manitoba, and sexual abuse survivor Max Jenson believe the government would best serve the public by looking outside the education system to find a replacement, while still respecting the opinions of the important stakeholders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new commissioner needs to be an individual who is first highly trained in child protection, safety, and well-being,\u201d said Jenson, one of nine victims who stepped forward with allegations against disgraced former Winnipeg high school teacher and football coach Kelsey McKay.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last thing they should be is tied to the education system, Manitoba Teachers\u2019 Society or any teacher union.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jenson said children harmed by educators deserve fair due process from a commissioner completely uninfluenced by the system that harmed them.<\/p>\n
However, MTS pushed back against that idea, potentially setting up a clash over the registry\u2019s future leadership.<\/p>\n
In an emailed statement Thursday, MTS President Lillian Klausen praised Taillefer\u2019s work, stating her \u201cextensive experience in the K-12 public education system and understanding of labour relations was crucial\u201d in developing a fair framework.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new commissioner needs to be an individual who is first highly trained in child protection, safety, and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n
Klausen made it clear that the union expects the next appointee to share those exact qualifications.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were clear from Day 1 that the commissioner must have strong background in public education,\u201d Klausen said. \u201cOur expectation is that the new commissioner will also have a strong background in K-12 public education.\u201d<\/p>\n
The political damage of the resignation is only amplified, given Premier Wab Kinew\u2019s strong focus on local accountability, Hauseman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis premier has been incredibly up front with embracing the elbows-up philosophy, and then to have one of their key appointees working remotely from the United States\u2026 it\u2019s definitely not a good look, and the optics are not great for the government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has to be someone who is above reproach, and someone who is committed to being in that position for the full term. It would really challenge any public trust they\u2019ve built within the education system by pursuing the registry if they make the same mistake again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The revelation is a significant blow to an independent office created to restore transparency, accountability and public trust in how the province handles teacher misconduct and sexual abuse allegations, critics say. Taillefer\u2019s brief tenure was shrouded in controversy since her appointment by former education minister Nello Altomare, who died last January, was made public in September 2024.<\/p>\n
Shortly after assuming the inaugural role, the Free Press revealed she was simultaneously working as the executive director of the Saskatchewan Teachers\u2019 Federation. Taillefer was also a long-time employee of the Manitoba Teachers\u2019 Society, spending more than 20 years there, including significant time handling teacher discipline matters.<\/p>\n
Critics immediately called the \u201cdouble-dipping\u201d a massive conflict of interest that compromised the objectivity of the office. At the time, Schmidt defended the hiring and stated she had full confidence in Taillefer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last thing they should be is tied to the education system, Manitoba Teachers\u2019 Society or any teacher union.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jenson noted that these previous controversies made Thursday\u2019s news feel predictable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not surprised by the commissioner thinking it\u2019s appropriate to be somewhere else,\u201d he said. \u201cThis was the same individual that was OK with working for the union in Saskatchewan while working the registry at the same time. These are actions that go with someone who doesn\u2019t understand the importance of that position.\u201d<\/p>\n
jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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Jeff Hamilton Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University\u2019s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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