By Michelle Forbes

The East Kootenay has seen an influx in residents in the last few years, and is home to a growing French population.

French families wanting to share their culture and language with their children may soon have the option of a Francophone school in the Kimberley/Cranbrook area. Francophone schools are currently available in Fernie and Nelson, and the BC Francophone School Board – Conseil Scolaire Francophone de la Comlumbie-Britannique – is determining whether the Kimberley/Cranbrook region has enough French families for another Francophone school.

On June 1, staff from the Francophone School Board in Vancouver met with local French families to share information for those eligible. The meeting uncovered confusion about who is eligible to attend. Unlike French Immersion schools, which offer Anglophone parents an opportunity for French education for their child, Francophone schools offer French school for Francophone families only.

The federal government regulates who is eligible to attend these schools, not the school boards. As such, costs for this public school would come from the Francophone school board of BC, not affecting local school board’s budgets.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms under Official Languages section 23, subsection Minority Language Educational Rights authorizes Citizens of Canada, clarifying who is eligible. Those “whose first language learned and still understood” or who “received their primary school instruction in Canada” in the minority language of the region have the right to have their child educated in the minority language, if there are sufficient students to warrant it.

Currently, Marie Nairn has been reaching out to Francophone families to prove the school will be viable and sustainable.

With approximately 25 children under seven-years-old in the Kimberley area from 12-15 families, Marie Nairn is searching for more interested Francophone families in Kimberley, Cranbrook, Wasa, Jaffrey, and possibly Creston.

Fernie’s Francophone school currently has approximately 30 students, and Nairn believes a Francophone school will be an asset to the region, and is determined to track down enough local Francophone families to make it a reality.

While the science of bilingualism shows the benefits of a second language to a child, increasing their “code switching” abilities and problem solving abilities, Nairn says that French Education is about much more than that for Francophone families. She says that French school gives their children a sense of belonging, learning about their culture, heritage, and language. It allows the children to identify as French, while growing up outside of Quebec and living in an English culture.

For a Francophone school to open in September, 2018, Nairn must meet a deadline of December 31. A written proposal with names and statistics of students will then be submitted to the Francophone school board. If the Francophone school board decides the school is viable, they will look for a place in Cranbrook or Kimberley to house the school, hoping to initially share a school that has extra space, and offering bussing to students outside the area.

For Nairn, the difficulty is locating all the francophone families. Despite reaching out to those in the community, she knows there are many families she has been unable to contact. Nairn is hoping to reach as much of the French population in the Kootenays as possible before her December 31 deadline.

“Everyone’s really excited and hoping for the school,” she said. And to make it possible, Nairn is asking for the community’s help to spread the word. Anyone who believes they may be eligible to put their children in Francophone school is encouraged to contact Nairn by e-mail at [email protected], or through the Facebook page: French Connections, which gives updates, and information about meetings.

Then a new school option may be available in September, 2018. Bussing included.

For more information, see The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Section 23) and the Francophone School Board of BC or the French Connections Facebook page.

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