New School-Community Centre for Prince Albert Francophones
PRINCE ALBERT, Saskatchewan, December 19, 1994 -- Francophones in Prince Albert will have their school-community centre. The Federal Government will provide assistance toward construction of a permanent facility to be a part of a new building planned to house Mgr. Valois School. MP Gordon Kirkby (Prince Albert-Churchill River) made the announcement today on behalf of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Michel Dupuy.« The success of school-community centres in other regions of the country has shown their value as community development tools for minority official languages communities, » said Minister Dupuy. « This Francophone school-community centre will bring together the wide range of services that exist here in Prince Albert, and thereby better address the needs of Fransaskois citizens of all ages, » Mr. Kirkby added.
The Honourable Pat Atkinson, Saskatchewan Minister of Education, Training and Employment said she was pleased to see the facility taking shape. « It is gratifying to see that the Prince Albert Francophone community and the Conseil scolaire fransaskois de Prince-Albert are getting the facility they need to bring education and community enhancement under one roof, » she said.
For the past ten years, the Prince Albert Francophone community has been working to regroup French-language programmes and services for the Fransaskois community. The school-community centre is expected to open in the fall of 1995.
Federal funding in the amount of up to $1 million will be added to the contribution committed by the Province of Saskatchewan, under the terms of the Canada/Saskatchewan Francophone School Management (Gestion scolaire) Agreement, for construction of the Francophone school in Prince Albert.
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 1994 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework. This project is an example of how this government is prioritizing its spending so that it can better serve Canadians by making efficient use of their tax dollars.
Information :
Denis Racine
Regional Office
Canadian Heritage
(306) 780-7285
Alain Garceau
Press Secretary
Minister's Office
(819) 997-7788
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