Manitoba trustee suspended over posts targeting LGBTQ2S+ community, division says
A Manitoba school trustee has been suspended over social media posts the division says targeted the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Trustee Francine Champagne, who represents Ward 1 in the Louis Riel School Division (LRSD), has been suspended for three months, a division spokesperson confirmed.
"Her suspension is due to breaching the Board Code of Conduct, specific to social media use and disregarding Policy AC: Respect for Human Diversity," Emmalee Blackadar, the communications manager for the division, said in an email to CTV News.
"Trustee Champagne posted harmful comments on social media targeting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community."
Sandy Nemeth, the chair of the LRSD Board of Trustees, told CTV News she was concerned after finding out about the posts, saying they had a 'strong transphobic sentiment' and were disrespectful to the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Nemeth said she brought her concerns to the board.
"They are just not who we are in Louis Riel and certainly not who we are as a board," Nemeth said.
CTV News has not been able to view the posts in question, which appear to have since been deleted.
Champagne was one of two trustees elected in the ward during the most recent 2022 election. She received 2,817 votes.
Champagne's suspension will last for three months and is the strongest sanction possible under the Manitoba Public Schools Act. Nemeth said following the suspension, Champagne will resume her full duties.
However, part of a motion passed by the board Tuesday evening includes a commitment to professional learning for all members of the board.
"Over time we hope she's had a chance to reflect and think about how she's going to return to her duties and return to the community – and that is going to involve us having some conversations around respect for human diversity and what that looks like in Louis Riel," Nemeth said.
Nemeth said the board understood that whatever their decision was – it would send a message to the community.
"What we want everyone to take away is that we recognize the value of every student, staff member, teacher, administrator, community member to feel that when they are working and learning in LRSD, or enter one of our buildings, that they are welcomed, they are valued, they are respected, (and) we will care for them and support them," she said.
"It doesn't matter who they are or how they identify. They are people and human beings first."
CTV News has reached out to Champagne for comment, but has yet to hear back.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.