Robert Ghiz, Premier of Prince Edward Island, broke ground in Rustico Monday on the new French school, L’Ecole St Augustin, ending more than a decade of effort by local parents to educate their children in a French language school of their own.
The 23,000 square foot school is being built on land adjacent to the Farmers Bank, Doucet House and St. Augustine Church in one of PEI’s oldest Acadian communities. Continue reading
Pottie's at Mary's wedding - Jimmy, Sid, Pops, Eddie, Cam, Clary (dad), Mary, Gram, Charlie, Margaret, Pat and Johnny
(updated)
This is a follow up to a reader’s comment on My uncle Sid. One family story leads to another.
My grand-mère was as strict an Acadian Catholic as God made. Half Scottish and half Acadian from Arichat, Isle Madame, Cape Breton, she would use Gaelic when angry.
I remember rabbit pie on the stove at home in Halifax, which amazingly which gets honorary mention in an Ecole Buote lesson plan.
Last night we were whiling our time on Victoria Row when friends went by and said a Cajun band was playing at the passenger terminal later on. A Cajun band! Off we went to this poorly promoted but fun event.
They show continues tonight at 7:30 pm at the renovated Charlottetown wharf – at the bottom of Weymouth Street.
We didn’t sample the Cajun and Acadian food since we were stuffed from eating at the Globe but it looked good and the price was fair. Continue reading
Madame le Ministre, I'm the boss of me
By Donnie St Pierre, contributed NJN Network, Miscouche, Prince Edward Island, Canada May 13, 2009
A weak and watery sun barely registers on the priceless Isfahan carpet which lies in front of the gold inlaid teak wine cooler with its collection of mid-century vintages from some of the better, English-owned estates of the Bordeaux. Behind the fortress walls of her desk on its raised dais, Mme la Ministre seethes with rage.
That frumpy Crane woman has had the sheer audacity to question her on why the miserable French students of Rustico go to school in the basement of a bar. Worse, she went on to question why Mme la Ministre has broken her solemn promise of August 15, 2008 that each French community – including Rustico – has the right to its own centre scolaire-communautaire. Intolerable! Continue reading
CBC, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, April 28, 2009
A French cultural group on P.E.I. is disappointed the Confederation Centre Library is falling short when it comes to offering assistance to francophones, but the province doesn’t see the problem.
‘We certainly have received no complaints or concerns at the Confederation public library.’
— Harry Holman, Department of Culture
The provincial library recently added Chinese materials and hired a temporary staff member who speaks both Mandarin and Japanese in reaction to an influx of immigrants from China, but no one on staff is considered fluent in French.
Jeff Brant, director of socio-economic development for the Mi'kmaq Confederacy, wants to balance commercial and park development. (CBC)
By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, April 8, 2009 with story from CBC
It was inevitable the peace between the elite class on PEI and our first nations would fall apart as soon as the “white people” got a drift of how uppity and organized the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I. was. Being stuck in Scotchford, Lennox Island and Morell Rear can focus the mind on the disparity between the people who stole your land and your current state of poverty. Continue reading
While Friday the 13th started with only slight apprehension and a determination to be careful, events can overtake you when lady luck goes for a drive.
The day went along swimmingly. Stories flowed slowly from my two fingers. Projects like mailing back two TC Helicon floor pedals remained unpacked in boxes on the hall floor where they had been all week. My new song 56 Percent Man remained unrecorded. I was being cautious, not pushing my chances. The recording session the night before was a disaster with the computer deciding my music was not recordable. Research on Friday proved the fault to be mine: I neglected to turn on the Firewire drivers to encourage the song to flow from the mixer. Other than that I was in a fine mood. Continue reading
Cymbria Lions Club, Rustico PEI, too much is missing for a French school and community centre
Part 2 – yesterday Lions stop thinking about our money
Dear Lions,
You are great neighbours and many of you friends; however you don’t seem to understand that your pecuniary interests are going against the good of the children of this community.
The kids don’t have the privilege of enjoying the gymnasium five days a week in the Lions centre because “it costs too much to heat up in the winter”. The kids cannot eat in the cafeteria on days that there is a funeral lunch so they have to eat in the classroom. The kids cannot enjoy a freshly cooked meal a few times a week, nor can they have cooking oriented learning activities. It is not permitted to make use of the Lions Centre’s kitchen because “it would cost too much in insurance”.
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Cymbria Lions Club, Rustico PEI, think about children not money
Editor: the series of local articles on Lions and the French school community centre are not only popular in PEI. We received a thank you note from the Lions International noting their interest.
Dear Lions.
You are great neighbours and many of you friends; however you don’t seem to understand that your pecuniary interests are going against the good of the children of this community. Having a French school with a community component is not going to harm whatever activities you do. The activities and groups that would come to the French school would not be the same as the ones you entertain in your building. We need our kids to live and learn to feel accepted and welcomed in their own community. They should be proud of who they are, that is Acadians. This means being of French descent and culture.
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North Rustico, waiting 27 years for new French school
École Saint Augustin has been located at the Cymbria Lions Club for eight long years. It was established as a pilot project of the Commission scolaire de langue française that received a moral boost and a step in its gait following the Supreme Court decision in favour of Noëlla Arsenault and Madeleine Costa’s long-fought cause against the province for Section 23 rights in Summerside. The current rental arrangement was only ever meant to be a temporary situation. This was known by all parties at the time. Still the students and parents have been waiting patiently for this to be rectified as has been the cultural council that is also housed in the same structure.
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Par L’ardent indépendant, spécial à NJN Network, le 28 janvier, 2009, L’Isle Saint Jean(Canada)
The English version follows…
Malgré le jugement de la Cour suprême de 2000 dans le cas Arsenaut et al c. le gouvernement de l’Î.-P.-É., je ne peux croire à quel point l’incompréhension des besoins de la communauté de langue officielle minoritaire persiste encore. La nécessité pour les établissements scolaires des communautés de langue officielle minoritaires d’évoluer dans des lieux physiques distincts, repose sur le véritable objectif de l’article 23 de la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés, soit de remédier à des injustices passées et de s’assurer que la minorité linguistique officielle ait un accès égal à un enseignement de qualité dans sa propre langue, dans des circonstances qui favoriseront le développement de la communauté.
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