New French school in historic Rustico ends years of debate
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.
The school will house classes for children to grade six including an “Early Years Centre, Conseil Acadien de Rustico offices, and a cultural development office.”
Construction had already started with the footings in and some of the building rising above the former farmer’s field.
The Premier highlighted to need to educate children for the future and the importance of the French language and culture to Prince Edward Island. He gave his speech in both English and French.
Doug Currie Minister of Education said the school provided for French education and culture while preparing the children for the technological changes ahead.
The right to educational and cultural institutions in the French is contained of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The Province of Prince Edward Island refused to grant French language education outside Charlottetown or the Acadian region until two Island mothers won the right in the Supreme Court of Canada. That court decision in favour of Madeleine Monpetite and Noella Arsenault paved the way for the construction of a French school in Summerside.
Opposition Leader Robert Ghiz promised to build a French school in Rustico, a fishing and farming community west of Cavendish on the north shore of PEI. Once elected, Ghiz assigned the task to local MLA Carolyn Bertram. Bertram sided with the local Lions Club who saw the new school as a loss of annual rent from the government. The Lion’s Club had been rented out as a temporary school for nine years.
The French school board, French parents and community leaders waged an intense battle with Bertram and the government to have their promises kept. Ghiz replaced Bertram in the Francophone portfolio this year. He assigned new Education Minister Doug Currie to a find consensus and build the school.
La Voix Acadienne, the Acadian newspaper, took the government to task in an editorial saying the Ghiz government had lost the confidence of the Acadian community. La ministre Bertram a perdu notre confiance The Acadian leadership rattled sabers, threatening to re-open the Supreme Court lawsuit.
In the end, the government relented and agreed to the school in the historic setting of Rustico, where one of the first French language schools in PEI had been established.
Engineers on site hoped the building would be closed in by winter. No one was predicting when classes would begin.
A father was accompanying his son home from the temporary school in the Lion’s Club as we left Rustico. In the coming years, the community hopes to expand and flourish with the facilities being built for them by the Federal and Provincial governments.
Simon Footbridge
Carolyn Bertram’s obvious absence at the soiree, despite her history with the local Lions Club, was quite noticeable especially since she is the MLA for District 18 and the fact that the Island is one short year away from a provincial election.
The Premier’s response to John Jeffrey of the CBC that her office would have to explain her absence from the all important photo op was tantamount to tossing her under the proverbial political bus. Perhaps all is not particularly well in Liberal Land.
Maybe Ms. Bertram should arrange a meeting with one Helena Guergis to discuss coping strategies.
http://viableopposition.blogspot.com/
RusticoObserver
I suppose what we are actually seeing is the immaturity and inability to tolerate disagreement that Donnie St Pierre has been illustrating for the last year or so. Enough has leaked out from the bureaucrats and politicians who have to work with her for us to know this is more than just a high strung amateur flailing about out of her depth. Grown up politicians just don’t behave that way. Simon’s reference to Guergis is telling.
It is just unfortunate for the parents and children of Rustico that their rights (and patience) have been tromped on as the Ghiz forces try to work round their own Tea Party minister.
It will be interesting as the Fifth Floor continues to flag which MLAs will be strongly supported and which will be left pretty much to the wolves in the next election.
Watcher
I assume that the Tea Party RusticoObserver is referring to is the one in Wonderland, not the one Sarah Palin is serving at down in the States.
Mind you, there is a similarity in their dismal skills in interviews.
junior gallant
Thats funny simon. Seriously, Carolyn may well be im some political trouble come Oct 2011. While her perceived mistakes on the so called “smelt shack” issue(not my words,folks!)may not help,I think it will be more her problems in Health that may beher undoing. But then again,I may be wrong!
Watcher
Well put, Junior. And I don’t think there is any doubt she was put there to fail. Health Ministries are normally a deathbed for the careers of even the strongest and most competent of politicians and Carolyn isn’t even close to either of those qualities.
She was just too popular in the party (or maybe “less unpopular than Ghiz” would be more accurate) and far too disruptive both in her ministry and in Cabinet. This no win assignment is deliberate.
Health is an open-ended demand system and there are no complete solutions Even the smallest of reforms (refocus away from illness, doctors and hospitals to well-being and patients, for example, or try to remove any of the restrictive practices of any of the professional groups) are filled with deep pain.
Pain, complaint and dissent are not issues Mme la Ministre deals with well.
junior gallant
What? No NJN coverage of the Cymbria Lions re opening last weekend? TSK TSK!!
Stephen Pate
Thanks for the notice. I never miss a party so I missed the invite. Next time.