Province orders review of uncertified teachers

WINNIPEG — Manitoba has issued new marching orders for school divisions to undertake deep dives into their employees’ credentials.

Education Minister Tracy Schmidt penned a memo to superintendents this week asking them to investigate all files belonging to uncertified teachers working in their kindergarten-to-Grade 12 buildings.

The mandatory reviews are meant to check that all limited teaching permits are active and criminal record and child abuse checks are up to date.

School divisions have until March 27 to submit their findings.

“This directive is an important component of (the province’s) broader effort to ensure accountability, transparency and student protection,” Schmidt wrote in the Jan. 27 memo.

The review was ordered in the wake of a Winnipeg Free Press investigation into an uncertified vocational teacher who is facing serious charges involving minors.

The investigation revealed Braeden Martens, a Red Seal electrician who was working at Steinbach Regional Secondary, had been — in the minister’s words — “completely off the radar.”

Martens was removed from his classroom in January 2025 as RCMP investigated multiple teenage girls’ allegations about inappropriate behaviour. In April, he was charged with one count of luring and one count of invitation to sexual touching. The charges have not been proven in court.

Provincial records suggest Martens was not technically approved to teach in a public school in 2024-25.

The Hanover School Division, his former employer, has defended its paperwork.

In a public statement, the division said it obtained four different limited teaching permits for Martens between February 2021 and June 2024.

Its leaders indicated they didn’t seek a fifth because he was expected to apply to become a permanent professional last year.

The majority of teachers in Manitoba have permanent certificates, meaning they’ve completed a specific degree in education.

These educators, as well as school clinicians, are listed in the province’s new K-12 teacher registry. An independent commissioner of teacher professional conduct collects and investigates complaints about them.

There isn’t currently a clear or formal process in place for members of the public to flag concerns about their uncertified counterparts.

Schools can hire anyone who has, at minimum, a Grade 12 diploma and satisfactory record checks if they’re grappling with a staffing shortage.

Employers are required to apply for limited teaching permit status on behalf of a hire who has taught for more than 15 consecutive days or a combined 20 days over the course of a school year.

Child protection advocates have called on the province to find a way to include this group — a minority albeit growing population in the K-12 workforce — in its new disciplinary process.

The Winnipeg School Division, the largest of its kind in the province, currently employs 28 people with limited teaching permits. This group represents one per cent of the teaching workforce in its K-12 buildings.

Supt. Matt Henderson said these permits are usually sought to fill specialized positions in music or applied technology courses.

“We’re always doing checks and ensuring that (credentials) haven’t lapsed,” he said, adding that includes ensuring teachers have completed Respect in School training in how to recognize discrimination, bullying and abuse.

Henderson indicated the minister’s latest request won’t take long for his human resources office to complete.

The use of limited teaching permits, each of which expire at the end of every school year, has soared in recent years.

As of Friday, the province had issued 888 of them for the current school year, more than double the sum approved a decade ago.

» Winnipeg Free Press