Governments of Canada and Ontario announce construction of a public primary school and daycare service for the Francophone community in Barrhaven and Manotick Français
Investing in educational infrastructure to promote the vitality of the Franco-Ontarian community
OTTAWA, ON, June 15, 2023 /CNW/ - Funding school infrastructure that meets the needs of official-language minority communities is an absolute priority for the federal government to ensure the vitality and long-term development of those communities. By investing in modern infrastructure, we are not only strengthening French-language education, but also contributing to the community, cultural and economic development of these regions, which are an essential part of our country's social and economic fabric.
Today, Chandra Arya, federal Member of Parliament (Nepean), announced $700,000 in funding to the Province of Ontario for the construction of a French-language public primary school and daycare service for in Barrhaven and Manotick. Mr. Arya made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. He was accompanied by Lisa MacLeod, Member of Provincial Parliament for Nepean.
This project involves the construction of a new public primary school to serve the French-speaking community of Barrhaven and Manotick, south of Ottawa. The new school will be able to accommodate up to 475 students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 and will offer daycare services for 49 children. The new school and daycare will open in time for the start of the 2023–24 school year.
In addition to the French-language daycare service, which will accommodate 25 children aged 0 to 48 months and 24 pre-schoolers, the building will include other spaces available and accessible to the Francophone community in the evenings and on weekends, including a multipurpose room and a gymnasium with a stage for presenting shows. The project also provides for the acquisition of essential equipment for the multipurpose room, gymnasium, stage, and daycare service.
In the long term, the construction of this new school, daycare service and other gathering spaces for Manotick's Francophone community will support the community's development and encourage French language learning from an early age, which will in turn facilitate the transition from pre-school to school.
"Building a school means sowing the seeds of education, watering the roots of the French language, and cultivating the future of a thriving Francophone community. The construction of the new school serving the Francophone community in Barrhaven and Manotick brings together all the elements needed to create a stimulating learning environment, helping young people to flourish and preserving our linguistic heritage for generations to come."
—The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
"Education is the cornerstone of any society, and access to minority-language education in Canada is fundamental. For Canada's Francophone minority communities, the availability of adequate educational facilities is essential to enhance the vitality of their culture and language, and to ensure their active and equitable participation in Canadian society."
—Chandra Arya, Member of Parliament (Nepean)
"We are determined to build schools and expansions faster, part of our commitment to modernize schools in fast growing communities. We are proud to deliver a new, state-of-the-art Barrhaven-Manotick French-language elementary school for local Francophone families, along with increasing funding, staffing and tutoring to help ensure students graduate with confidence that they can succeed in good-paying careers."
—The Honourable Stephen Lecce, Ontario Minister of Education
"We are pleased to begin construction of the Barrhaven-Manotick public elementary school, which will include a daycare centre. I would like to thank the Government of Canada for the funding of $1,652,606, which will make construction of the school and daycare centre possible. They will serve a key sector of the city of Ottawa in which the Francophone and Francophile population is growing."
—Samia Ouled Ali, Chair, Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (CEPEO)
The region south of Ottawa has been undergoing rapid growth for many years, with a steady increase of 0.5 percent in the number of Francophones over five years. The nearest French-language primary schools have been overcrowded for several years, so 13 mobile classrooms have been required to meet the needs of the Francophone community.
The Government of Canada is funding the community spaces and a portion of the shared spaces, while the Government of Ontario is responsible for the school spaces and the construction costs of the daycare service and gymnasium.
The project is funded under the Canada–Ontario Agreement on Minority-Language Education and Second Official-Language Instruction 2020–2021 to 2022–2023.
Budget 2021 includes $81.8 million in funding for Canadian Heritage over a two-year period, beginning in 2021–22, to support the construction, renovation and development of educational and community spaces serving official-language minority communities.
Funding for this project is provided through the Official Languages Support Programs, whose overall goal is to enhance the vitality of English- and French-speaking minority communities and promote the English and French languages in Canadian society.
On March 1, 2022, the Government of Canada introduced an enhanced bill promoting the substantive equality of Canada's official languages, in order to adapt the Official Languages Act to a changing society. Among other objectives, the bill aims to address the decline of French in Canada, clarify and strengthen the section of the Official Languages Act dealing with the promotion of official languages, and support official-language minority communities.
On April 26, 2023, the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028 was unveiled. The Action Plan is the result of the analysis of the Canada-wide consultations on official languages conducted by Canadian Heritage from May 24 to August 31, 2022. The Government of Canada will invest $4.1 billion in resources and programs that support our two official languages.
Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection – Promotion – Collaboration
Official Languages Support Programs
SOURCE Canadian Heritage
(media only), please contact: Marianne Blondin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]
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