Rustico, PEI
By Plumette de Rustico, Rustico, PEI, Canada
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.
There used to be many smaller French-language schools in the greater Rustico area. They closed one by one over time and in government’s infinite wisdom (paternalistic) of what was good for those communities.
More recent history unfolded like this: When École-sur-Mer was built as part of the Centre Belle-Alliance, two other schools were established at the same time. Rustico regained its French school with the establishment of École Saint-Augustin and a French-language school, later to be named École La Belle Cloche in Souris was also established. What a boost to the two local communities!
In both cases, as in every Acadian and Francophone community in PEI, the School Board recognized the inherent need for a community component in order for these schools to flourish, and what is more, in order for the students to flourish in forming a personal and life-long identity with their culture. The additional resources to augment what the teachers and administrators could access was indeed an added bonus.
As important as that macro-information is, let’s come back to Rustico. While the province has already announced a $2.6-million plan for a new construction for Rustico, the service club landlord does not seem to want to relinquish the lucrative rental income and further seems bent on stooping to all tactics.
A Lions Club member admitted to CBC News on Monday that his group takes in more than $90,000 a year in rent from the school. He commented that the club would certainly lose that rental revenue, which in turn would create some difficulties. He continued that they would probably have to dip into monies that they put out into the community in order to help operate their building. Is he saying that they will have to do exactly what every other Lions Club in PEI and elsewhere has to do?
What a come-down that must be for one that has been able to ride the wave for so long. In short, the group wants the school to stay where it is, limit growth of the Acadian and Francophone community and for more public money to be used to renovate its building.
Who thinks that an appropriate renovation would cost any less than a completely new construction? Or that a renovation that would respond to the needs might even be possible? At any rate, who would own it though becomes the question in this scheme and would it require a renewal of a rental agreement? Hummm … pay big bucks for a reno job that may or may not fit the bill and still continue to pay rent. So, who wins in that arrangement?
In the same report, Simone Pineau, a member of a collaborative group that has been advocating for the new school and cultural centre, explained that the Lion’s Club site was only ever supposed to be a temporary location. While it may have seemed like a good idea at the time, back in 2000, the reality is that it was only ever a tempory solution to a need and further, the school’s and community’s needs have grown since then. It is time to move out and on.
It’s time for everyone to move on. The community needs and is entitled to a uniquely Francophone environment and this, in circumstances that will further and enhance the development of the Francophone community.
Moreover, in our society, minority groups do not require the collective support of the majority for government to respect their rights. That is why we have the Constitution as it was repatriated
and the carefully-adopted Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Rustico has been patient for 27 years.
According to Pineau, the rental agreement is up at the end of this school year and government has made its funding announcement as part of its capital budget. This leaves many wondering just what all the fuss is about.
Gallant claims to not want to make this a political issue, but also states that the Club intends to send bulletins outlining its concerns to people in the community.
So, does PEI indeed have it’s own P3 school? P3 in principle – albeit decidely unglamourous in all reality. You tell me what you think of that. Nova Scotia’s ambitious P3 school construction program has been turfed as too expensive, too political.
In the words of Nova Scotia’s finance minister, Neil LeBlanc it is “too out of control”. It’s an interesting question to pose here. “Out of control” certainly seems to be a good way of putting some people’s reaction to what, at the end of the day, is an indicator of growth and development in a beautiful north shore community with lots of potential.
Although it can also hardly be said that the landlord in this case is a developer or an investor. Rather, they bought an abandoned school (yes, made available by an earlier consolidation process) for a dollar and have indeed gotten quite a return.
Observer
Being a quiet Sunday, I was leafing – as one does – through recent Supreme Court musings. This caught my eye…
[31] Before considering the provisions at issue in the case at bar, it will be helpful to review the principles that govern the interpretation of language rights provisions. Courts are required to give language rights a liberal and purposive interpretation. This means that the relevant provisions must be construed in a manner that is consistent with the preservation and development of official language communities in Canada (R. v. Beaulac, [1999] 1 S.C.R. 768, at para. 25). Indeed, on several occasions this Court has reaffirmed that the concept of equality in language rights matters must be given true meaning (see, for example, Beaulac, at paras. 22, 24 and 25; Arsenault‑Cameron v. Prince Edward Island, 2000 SCC 1, [2000] 1 S.C.R. 3, at para. 31). Substantive equality, as opposed to formal equality, is to be the norm, and the exercise of language rights is not to be considered a request for accommodation
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Hmm, nothing about subordinating those language rights to the wishes of the Lions Club…
Reader
I can not help but notice the quality of the writing, research and logic that is in the articles written by the people who are pro cultural centre for Rustico area. If this is indicative of the education that results from such educational facilities, then that is where I want to sent my children.
Colombo Golden Jubilee
Very nice site you have. Please visit our homepage and see whether you can help needy people.
Concerned citizen (of Rustico and of the World)
There are sixty needy children in Rustico and area. And the number will be growing every year.
Still caring and still struggling
Someone who really cares and struggles from Rustico still really cares ans is still really struggling. While I was happy to congratulate Dave Blacquière and his village commission on their proactive vision, finding opportunity in the midst of challenges and their strong view to the future, I am utterly and unequivocally ashamed of the behaviour of the members of the Cymbria Lions’ Club. Who could have dreamed they could stoop so low. It there nothing that they won’t stoop to? This is unbelievable. Rustico is a beautiful area and a community with tonnes of potential to become even better than it already is. How can anyone say that growth and culture isn’t good for a community, not in it’s best interests. It’s a wonder and probably nothing short of a miracle that any remnant of the French language and culture remains with such rampant zenophobia that is smearing the pages of these comment boards. Yet, there are more—so much more than mere remnants that remain. An indominable sprirt—a spirt of courage and perserverance remain strong and will guild the Acadian and Francophone people to seek justice for their children. This community has struggled to maintain or regain the language that so many individuals in the Rustico area have unfortunately lost (through little to no fault of their own, as there were powers bigger than they at play—and obviously still are …). And now, a Lions’ Club is working so hard to stomp it out. Who could have imagined such hostility from such seemingly service-minded gentlemen. Evidently, I don’t know the answer to that question, but to read their comments, one would have to imagine some serious and deep-rotted hatred in their hearts. The Club is clearly not a fit environment for the children who are being schooled there. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is there to protect Canadian minorities. The Francophone minority throughout most of Canada, like all minorities have been disadvantaged and disfavoured for much of our social, political and legal history. Article 23, and what is more, Article 24, enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, serves not only to equalize the playing field and provide equal status for both French and English in Canada, but also to provide legal recourse or remedy when this equality is not recognized by public institutions (government departments, agencies, crown corporations, etc.) and acted appropriately upon. It is particulary difficult for individuals and families to preserve their language and culture in seemingly hostile environments. Comments like those suggesting that the Francophones in Rustico move to Québec serve as a good example. The reality is that Rustico was settled by French-speaking Acadians in 1763. That was five long years before the Britsh left the original French settlement (Port-la-Joye) to found Charlttetown. Rustico is not only one of the oldest communities on the Island (other than First Nations), but it is one of the most historic French and Acadian communities in all of Nouvelle Acadie (Atlantic Canada). Did everyone who is so against this proposed cultural centre know where they were settling? The foresightedness of PEI’s French language school board in adopting the concept of the centre scolaire-communautaire, like Dave Blaquière’s vision, is to be applauded. The community members who are working toward it—well instead of a helping had from their local service club is getting a slap in the face. That’s quite a thank-you for the hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into their cofferes over the years. PEI is now perhaps the only place in Canada where the population of the official language minority is actually growing. Those who hate it so much, should just embrace change. The community is finally pushing back the tides of assimilation. That is to be celebrated. If this population is growing and North Rustico is planning with a view to provide affordable housing options to attract new families and build the tax base through growth and volume rather than hikes in rates, I see both development projects as a winning combination. Lingusitic duality and cultural diversity makes cities, towns and communities more vibrant and attractive to new residents. Maintaining vibrancy is crucial to the survival of rural PEI and we will ALL be the beneficaries.
Rustico Resident
The new French school is for Rustico not North Rustico as sated in the above photo.And yes there is a difference.