Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press


15,000-plus students regularly skip school across Manitoba, leaked documents show

More than 15,000 students — including six in 10 children and youth in one Manitoba school division — were chronically absent from class in 2023-24. Leaked government documents expose the troubling state of truancy in elementary and high schools across the province. “Unbelievable” and “mind-blowing” were among the descriptors that came to mind for Kent […]

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Portage la Prairie school touts effectiveness of anonymous tipline

School leaders in Portage la Prairie are recommending the wider use of anonymous tiplines to monitor safety issues and other pressing concerns among students in Manitoba. A recent government-mandated review of safety protocols in kindergarten-to-Grade 12 schools has renewed one rural division’s support for its online reporting system. For the better part of the last […]

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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 […]

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Manitoba shelves plans for teacher exchange program

The Manitoba government has shelved plans to organize teacher exchanges to address workforce shortages and give urban and northern professionals an opportunity to learn from one another. The now-defunct teacher interchange committee was created to bring together bureaucrats, school leaders from Winnipeg and northern Manitoba and representatives from Gakino’amaage: Teach for Canada in 2024-25. Gakino’amaage, […]

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Jino Distasio named University of Winnipeg interim president

A University of Winnipeg professor who researches poverty and urban renewal at the downtown campus now has a new leadership role at the province’s second-largest university. Jino Distasio, one of the most high-profile researchers at U of W, was named Tuesday as its new interim president and vice-chancellor. Distasio, a veteran faculty member in the […]

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University of Winnipeg hunts for new leader after president removed

The University of Winnipeg has begun the search for a new leader after terminating its president. The board of regents, the governing body in charge of operations at U of W, removed Todd Mondor following a meeting Monday night. Mondor began what was supposed to be a five-year term on April 1, 2022. “In the […]

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Manitoba government promises ‘proactive approach’ to truancy fight

The Kinew government is drafting legislative changes to better track schoolchildren and ensure more of them attend classes regularly. Premier Wab Kinew revealed the “Reach Out, Reach Up” initiative is a priority for this session, but few details were included in the Nov. 18 throne speech. The program will address chronic absenteeism in kindergarten-to-Grade 12 […]

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Former Brandon University dean accused of ‘mathematically impossible’ grade change

A now-senior executive at Brandon University turned a student’s failing grade into an A+ when she was the dean of science, a move that overrode the course instructor’s concerns and is raising questions about grading oversight in the aftermath. Multiple sources corroborated details about an April 2022 incident that took place when Bernadette Ardelli was […]

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Trustees want say in school zone redesign

Trustees are calling on Winnipeg City Council to redesign 30 km/h school zones to better protect everyone who lives, learns and works in their wards — and they want a say in an infrastructure makeover. For Ryan Palmquist, an active cyclist, dad and first-term trustee, road safety is both a passion and frequent source of […]

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Distracted, impatient drivers put school bus passengers at risk: MPI

Manitoba children have been hit by vehicles 36 times this year.  Seven of them were in September, as kids made their way back to school after the summer break.  Manitoba Public Insurance’s latest analysis of road incidents also reveals there have been dozens of collisions involving school buses in 2025.  The numbers represent “close calls, […]

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Improper signage, absence of warning lights show school zones aren’t about safety, critics argue

Calvin Kendall left provincial traffic court Thursday with a “$0 fine” and a written warning. “I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid,” the 69-year-old said in a waiting room at 373 Broadway hours earlier while sorting through a USB stick of photo evidence and other items as he prepared to fight a $272 speed-camera […]

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Return of Winnipeg’s reduced-speed school zones and fines brings calls for changes from drivers

On a bright and clear September morning, drivers squint when they enter the most-ticketed school zone in Winnipeg. The 30 km/h sign on Talbot Avenue that warns oncoming traffic about a reduced speed limit behind River Elm School is harshly backlit, making it difficult to see. “I see people get ticketed all the time,” said […]

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