Education minister off on medical leave; Kinew appoints temporary replacement

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This article was published 08/10/2024 (365 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Education Minister Nello Altomare has stepped away from his cabinet duties while he undergoes surgery.

Premier Wab Kinew announced Tuesday that he has appointed a temporary replacement for Altomare, 60, while he is off work for medical reasons.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt will oversee the kindergarten-to-Grade 12 and early childhood education portfolio, in addition to her current role, indefinitely.

“I’m resting; I’m heeding the advice of doctors,” Altomare told the Free Press.

The NDP MLA for Transcona is scheduled for heart-related day surgery later this month. The procedure is slated to address the fallout of chemotherapy he underwent in 2019-20.

Altomare was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma around the time he was first elected to the legislature in 2019. He underwent six months of chemo while serving his constituents and balancing family responsibilities.

The father of two adult children entered blood-cancer remission during the summer of 2020. He has since served as the NDP education critic and, following the 2023 election, a high-profile member of Kinew’s cabinet.

While noting he has “plenty of juice” to continue serving Manitobans, Altomare said he needs to complete a procedure he’s been putting off in order to do so. “I don’t like keeping secrets,” he added.

“Minister Schmidt is a high performer who I know will do great work for Manitoba students,” the premier said in news release.

The environment minister told reporters she is honoured to step in for her colleague, who is expected to return in “short order,” after taking several weeks off.

“(Existing project) timelines will remain the same. We’re a team. We’re going to work together and we’re going to get through this as a team,” she said during a scrum inside the Manitoba Legislative Building.

Among major projects, the department of education is preparing to launch a teacher registry and overhauling the education funding formula for next year.

Riel MLA Mike Moyes has been appointed as legislative assistant for environment and climate change, and for education and early childhood learning.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca