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Province vows new location for school

By: Nick Martin

Monday, Jul. 16, 2012 at 8:12 AM | Comments: 0

Education Minister Nancy Allan has committed to finding a new location for francophone students to go to school in Thompson by September 2014 -- a school that could be become kindergarten to Grade 12 as early as 2015.

But so far, no one is saying if the province will build a new school, or convert an existing building to a school.

It certainly will not be a shared public school, the Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine says.

The DSFM intends to add a grade each year to École La Voie du Nord, which is currently a K-8 school.

"We're looking at a K-12 school," said DSFM chairman Bernard Lesage. "We're looking at all the different options, that have to answer our needs in terms of programs.

"(In September), we'll be K-9," he said.

The new school in 2014 will be somewhere other than in Burntwood School, where DSFM students share a space the Mystery Lake School Division wants them to vacate.

The Thompson Citizen has reported Mystery Lake wants the DSFM out of Burntwood School by June 2013 because it needs the space.

Lesage and an aide to Allan wouldn't discuss that, and Mystery Lake board chairman Alexander Ashton did not respond to an interview request.

But Allan's office confirmed the DSFM will be in Burntwood through the end of June 2014.

An aide to Allan would not say what type of school space the province will provide. La Voie du Nord, a kindergarten to Grade 8 school, had 70 students enrolled this year. By far the largest grade is kindergarten, with 17 children.

DSFM superintendent Denis Ferre said the school will have 85 students in the fall, and could have 150 by the time it is K-12.

"Not a school within a school, but a stand-alone," said Ferre. "There's going to be some high school space."

Both Lesage and Ferre said the new Thompson school would not be part of R.D. Parker Collegiate or the new campus of the University College of the North, though they wouldn't rule out the DSFM's school being in the same area.

Ferre said there is significant growth in francophone families in Thompson, through immigration and the economy.

"It's made up of people from all over Canada. The work is in Western Canada now," he said.

Lesage said Maritimers drawn to Thompson for jobs frequently speak French as their first language.

Allan has also committed to expand Burntwood to accommodate growth.

"All Thompson students deserve to have a place to go to school. There is sufficient space for all students who want to attend Burntwood school," Allan said in a prepared statement.

"In addition, we've offered to make renovations to the school should additional space be required. We have committed to find a new location outside of Burntwood school for the DSFM by 2014," Allan said.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

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