Funding school infrastructure that meets the needs of official-language minority communities is an absolute priority for the federal government to ensure the vitality and long-term development of those communities. By investing in modern infrastructure, we are not only strengthening French-language education, but also contributing to the community, cultural and economic development of these regions, which are an essential part of our country's social and economic fabric.
Today, Chandra Arya, federal Member of Parliament (Nepean), announced $700,000 in funding to the Province of Ontario for the construction of a French-language public primary school and daycare service for in Barrhaven and Manotick. Mr. Arya made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. He was accompanied by Lisa MacLeod, Member of Provincial Parliament for Nepean.
This project involves the construction of a new public primary school to serve the French-speaking community of Barrhaven and Manotick, south of Ottawa. The new school will be able to accommodate up to 475 students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 and will offer daycare services for 49 children. The new school and daycare will open in time for the start of the 2023-24 school year.
In addition to the French-language daycare service, which will accommodate 25 children aged 0 to 48 months and 24 pre-schoolers, the building will include other spaces available and accessible to the Francophone community in the evenings and on weekends, including a multipurpose room and a gymnasium with a stage for presenting shows. The project also provides for the acquisition of essential equipment for the multipurpose room, gymnasium, stage, and daycare service.
In the long term, the construction of this new school, daycare service and other gathering spaces for Manotick's Francophone community will support the community's development and encourage French language learning from an early age, which will in turn facilitate the transition from pre-school to school.
