Bonjour!
Earlier this year, the Mayor of Quebec City reached out to
Grande Prairie City Council with an invitation to join the Francophone and
Francophile Cities Network. Working with other founding members, Moncton, New
Brunswick and Lafayette, Louisiana, Quebec wanted to connect cities across
North America with strong ties to the French language and culture.
The purpose of the Network would be to "promote
communities that are historically, culturally, and linguistically affiliated
with French Canadian culture and showcase their tourist attractions."
Grande Prairie was invited to be part of the network based
on its significant ties to French culture and heritage. It's even reflected in
our name. You can find out more about
Grande Prairie's French heritage by visiting the Grande Prairie Museum or the
South Peace Regional Archives or by reading any of our history books.
Today, there are around 5,000-6,000 people who speak French
in the city. We have a Francophone school, a couple thousand students enrolled
in French immersion, and have a very active French Association (ACFA Grande Prairie). One of the city's largest
festivals each year is the Cabane à Sucre (Maple Sugar Festival), a celebration
of French Canadian culture and heritage which takes place in February each
year. Given our strong ties to the French community, Council was interested in
becoming a part of the Francophone Cities Network.
Over the last couple of days, I had the privilege of
attending the inaugural conference of the Network in Quebec City. While there, I signed up Grande Prairie as an
official member on behalf of Council. There was no cost to becoming a member
and there are some great benefits that come with joining:
Information sharing. Being linked to other cities with
French heritage gives us access to a wealth of knowledge. During the conference I was able to learn things
such as what other cities are doing to celebrate their French history and
culture and what primarily English cities are doing to welcome French migrants
and immigrants.
Economic spinoffs. One of the key objectives of the Network
is tourism promotion. The Network is going to be setting up tourism
"circuits" that will market groups of cities to tourists looking for
French heritage destinations as well as places where tourist attractions are accessible
in French. This will give Grande Prairie another avenue to market our region
and attractions like the dinosaur museum.
Being a part of the Network will also help showcase the
French services our community provides for those seeking employment here.
A website for the Network is being developed and will
highlight our city to the world. You can
see what has been developed so far here:
I look forward to continuing to work with the Network as it
develops. If you'd like to know, give me a shout!
À plus tard!
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