A Winnipeg teacher could face a defamation lawsuit for posts to his Facebook page.

Brad Badiuk is a technology teacher at Kelvin High School. Earlier this month, inflammatory comments about indigenous people were posted to a Facebook page under his name.

Some comments singled out Grand Chief Derek Nepinak with the Association of Manitoba Chiefs. Nepinak has announced that he will be filing a defamation lawsuit.

"To think that there could be children being subjected to this kind of thinking is appalling, and we have a responsibility to seek the full scope of available sanctions against persons making racist and hateful statements towards our children," Nepinak said in a written statement.

The Winnipeg School Division has also placed Badiuk on leave while it investigates the comments and who wrote them. It says it can’t comment on the potential lawsuit.

Pinnacle Staffing Agency recruits candidates for businesses around Winnipeg. It says it regularly checks what candidates post online.

“Online presence is really a reflection of who you are in this world. And employers are very conscious of the fact that when they hire someone, when they hire you, you’re representing their brand,” said Anand Sahay with Pinnacle.

Sahay cautions against posting negative or inflammatory comments that may reflect poorly on an employer.

He says a good way for employers to protect themselves and guide employees is to have a clear social media policy.

- with files from The Canadian Press