With Manitoba under strict COVID-19 protocols, a union for teachers in the province feels like its members are not being heard by the government.

James Bedford, the President of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, says one of the biggest challenges teachers are facing this school year is having to teacher in-class in addition to students whose families requested remote learning at the same time.

Bedford adds that there are not enough teachers and substitute teachers in the system in the case where a teacher is not able to go to work due to COVID-19 testing and isolation.

He says that while teachers and parents were elated when the federal government announced funding for schools back in the summer, Bedford states that the province isn’t using that money to its full extent.

Bedford explains the most pressing need for teachers in the province is mental health support so that teachers aren’t burnt out and missing work as a result.