| Sourced from 2 independent sources · no points in dispute |
CTV News and CBC News
Most key facts are confirmed by more than one independent source; a few details come from a single outlet.
12 key facts · 8 corroborated · none disputed
This summary is compiled from the independent sources listed above.
Manitoba’s independent teacher commissioner has permanently cancelled Winnipeg teacher Robert Gregoire’s teaching certificate after he admitted to professional misconduct involving an “inappropriately close relationship” with a student.
The Oct. 6 decision found Gregoire crossed professional boundaries with a Grade 8 student while teaching at a River East Transcona School Division middle school, and that the relationship continued after the student moved on to high school.
Gregoire’s messages to a student
Between 2022 and 2024, Gregoire and the student exchanged more than 1,000 messages through Microsoft Teams. He also sent hundreds of text messages from his personal phone.
The commissioner’s decision said many of the exchanges were initiated by Gregoire and were unrelated to his teaching role. It described a sustained pattern rather than “isolated lapses in judgement.”
Gregoire repeatedly invited the student to meet outside school, including at restaurants near her high school, the commissioner found.
The disciplinary decision said his conduct was “a serious abuse of the trust inherent in the teacher-student relationship.” It also found Gregoire prioritized his own emotional needs over the student’s well-being.
Gregoire transferred to the student’s high school
In 2024, Gregoire left the middle school to work at the high school attended by the student.
CBC News reported that the middle-school principal cautioned Gregoire in June 2024 against messaging students. Despite that warning, CBC reported, he continued the texting relationship.
At the disciplinary hearing, Gregoire admitted that his behaviour amounted to professional misconduct. The commissioner’s report said the extensive communication and Gregoire’s failure to disclose the relationship demonstrated a deliberate pattern of conduct.
Division fired Gregoire
Gregoire voluntarily surrendered his teaching certificate in May while the matter was under investigation. The certificate was permanently cancelled once the investigation concluded.
The River East Transcona School Division fired Gregoire following its own investigation. In a statement, the division called his conduct unacceptable and said it “falls well below the standards expected of teachers entrusted with the care and education of students.”
CTV News reported that the division referred the case to Winnipeg police and Child and Family Services.
The commissioner’s decision described Gregoire’s conduct as an abuse of the trust inherent in the teacher-student relationship.
Portage la Prairie teacher certificate decision
A separate recent decision involved Brady Thomas Johnson Nurse, a teacher in the Portage la Prairie School Division who lost his teaching certificate after inappropriate communication with a student between October and December 2023.
According to CBC News, Nurse did not initially disclose all of the messages during an investigation. After being asked specifically about messages from Nov. 18, he later produced additional deleted texts.
CBC reported that Nurse resigned in March and surrendered his certificate in May. The commissioner found the conduct represented a fundamental breach of a teacher’s duty of care toward students.
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