'What's been described as a resignation was actually a firing,' says Manitoba premier
Manitoba’s first commissioner of teacher professional conduct has stepped down after revelations she spent part of the winter working remotely from Florida while overseeing the province’s new teacher misconduct registry, according to a report.
Education Minister Tracy Schmidt confirmed that Bobbi Taillefer “has resigned as the commissioner and is no longer acting as the commissioner for the registry here in Manitoba,” the Winnipeg Free Press wrote.
However, Taillefer was actually fired from her post, says the CBC.
“What's been described as a resignation was actually a firing,” Premier Wab 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.”
Search for interim commissioner
The resignation leaves the year‑old registry without its inaugural leader while it continues to manage complaints and investigations involving educators. However, Schmidt insisted there would be “absolutely no interruption in service,” saying a team of investigators remains in place and that the province has begun searching for an interim commissioner.
Citing “private personnel matters,” Schmidt declined to elaborate on the circumstances of the departure, but stressed that a Manitoba‑based successor is a priority.
“A commitment to Manitoba is very important,” she said in the Winnipeg Free Press. “We 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.”
Previously, an Alberta court ruled that a long-serving employee was constructively dismissed when her employer tried to change her longstanding work-from-home arrangement.
Contract terms and remote work
The Winnipeg Free Press reported it had received several credible tips that Taillefer was working from Florida over the winter while serving as commissioner. When contacted in late March and asked whether she was in the United States, Taillefer did not directly deny it, according to the newspaper. Instead, she referred to her employment terms, stating in an email that “the contract allows for my arrangement to work remotely as long as the work is done.”
Taillefer told the Free Press she was supporting a family member in Ontario who had suffered a stroke and said she returned to Manitoba for at least one week each winter month. She also said she met her team weekly by video and maintained security protocols, writing: “Whether I work remotely or I am in the office, I follow the highest government security provisions at all times.”
However, the Winnipeg Free Press obtained a copy of her contract and reported that it contained no explicit authorisation for out‑of‑country work. The agreement did specify that her $80,000 annual salary included “all expenses associated with travel and parking to the office location provided by Manitoba.”
Taillefer – a long‑time union leader who previously headed several provincial teacher organisations, including the Manitoba Teachers’ Society (MTS) – has not given a statement following the development, according to both reports.
Double dipping? Taillefer’s history
The controversy adds to earlier questions about the independence of the office, which was created to strengthen transparency and public trust in the handling of teacher misconduct and sexual abuse cases.
Former education minister Nello Altomare appointed Taillefer commissioner of teacher professional conduct. The appointment was made public in September 2024. However, the Manitoba government’s website states that Taillefer was appointed as Manitoba's first commissioner of teacher professional conduct in January 2025.
Following the September 2024 announcement, the Winnipeg Free Press revealed Taillefer was simultaneously employed as executive director of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.
She had also spent more than 20 years at MTS, including work on teacher discipline files. Critics described the overlapping roles as “double‑dipping” and a major conflict of interest. At the time, Schmidt defended the hiring and said she had full confidence in Taillefer, according to the report.
The province has not yet announced who will step in as interim commissioner or the timeline for appointing a permanent replacement.
Here’s how to handle conflict of interest concerns in the workplace, according to a previous HRD report.
