Hanover school board not deterred by opposition to removing health-care privacy for older students
Hanover school board not deterred by opposition to removing health-care privacy for older students
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/hanover-school-board-health-privacy-9.7247635
Publish Date: 2026-06-24 16:27:00
Source Domain: www.cbc.ca
Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Hanover School Division’s board chair says trustees are still moving forward with a plan to stop recognizing health-care privacy for older students.
That is despite a petition with 1,000 signatures opposing the idea presented at a school board meeting Tuesday.
Chair Dallas Wiebe said trustees have been discussing the idea for at least seven months, with parent delegations voicing concern about the health care and counselling mature minors — students over 16 years — can access without parental consent.
“They love their children, and they would like to be involved,” he said after the meeting.
Southern Health has health-care staff required to provide confidentiality, including at a clinic in Steinbach Regional Secondary School. Services provided include reproductive health, mental health, referrals and prescriptions.
Jerica Capistrano organized the petition and told the board she would like trustees to get more input from health-care professionals. She has three children in the division.
“If a child isn’t feeling safe enough to tell their family, they should tell someone else because I would rather have my kids have someone to talk to than to try and control everything they’re doing,” Capistrano said after the meeting.
Hanover School Division vice-chair Jeff Friesen, from left, secretary-treasurer Kevin Heide and chair Dallas Wiebe at the board meeting Tuesday. (Christopher Gareau/CBC)
A 1993 Manitoba law states anyone over 16 can make their own health-care decisions.
“They are their own people, and they get to this point where they’re making their own choices, whether you agree with them or not,” Capistrano said.
Provincial Education Minister Tracy Schmidt met with the board’s trustees on June 16.
She told CBC the day after that she expects health-care…
