Location of francophone high school confirmed
The new French-language school will be built on the Riverdale Education Reserve.
The new French-language school will be built on the Riverdale Education Reserve.
The proposed location is in the area between the new F.H. Collins Secondary School and Selkirk Elementary School.
The Yukon government and the Yukon Francophone School Board (CSFY) publicly confirmed the choice Friday.
The site was identified by the CSFY as the preferred location for the new school in 2016. A proposal to build it on the nearby skateboard park site has been scrapped.
After an extensive review of the site options, the Liberal government has agreed the reserve site is the most viable location for the school.
“It offers significant savings in projected construction costs for required site work and the new school would be able to use existing infrastructure,” the government and board said in a statement.
“We are very pleased that this project continues to move forward,” said CSFY president Jean-Sébastien Blais.
“We would also like to acknowledge the continued support of the new Government of Yukon for this vital project for our community.”
The government announced $8 million in funding for the new high school in its budget speech last Thursday.
Further details about the plans are still under discussion in the government’s and board’s confidential negotiations.
“With the funding in the 2017-18 budget and agreement on a site location, the Government of Yukon is moving forward with the CSFY and community stakeholders to plan and build this new school for French First Language students,” said Education Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee.
“We will continue to work with the Yukon Francophone School Board, the francophone and Riverdale communities, the neighbouring schools and school councils and the City of Whitehorse on this project.”
The government and CSFY have been negotiating outstanding issues from a 2009 lawsuit, including the construction of a new francophone high school, since 2015 through two joint settlement committees.
The two parties have agreed to keep their negotiations confidential and to jointly announce key decisions as they reach agreement on each issue.
The site offers such advantages as simplified site work needs, more space and flexibility for the design of the school and shared infrastructure, the government and board said.
Comments (31)
Up 1 Down 1
Joe et jane on May 7, 2017 at 1:11 pm
Section 23. Oh and oh ya, Canada is a bilingual country. I know, high school is a tough stage in life, and history is boring, most of us got through it.
Up 4 Down 2
Gui on May 6, 2017 at 5:14 pm
Hey, has anyone thought of Dawson City as a viable base for the new Franco-phone high-school.
Up 31 Down 4
jean on May 4, 2017 at 10:19 pm
@joe et Jane, Please quote the section of the 'Canadian constitution' which you believe requires that a separate francophone high school be built. Do you also believe that francophones require a separate francophone hospital and seniors care facility too? Can we share an air terminal with signage in French, or do you need a separate all French one as well? At what point does pandering to francophone entitlement demands stop?
Let's stop ignoring the fact that this is really about creating more francophone jobs with a redundant francophone high school administration and staff. A few French immersion classrooms and courses at the new high school is all that's required or justified for such a small number of francophone students.
Up 15 Down 2
Pinhigh on May 4, 2017 at 9:22 pm
The $8 million is for initial planning and design and tendering. The estimated cost of construction is approximately $35 M . Estimated demographics from the preliminary studies argue that the Francophone High School student population in Whitehorse by 2025 will be approximately 150!
Up 14 Down 2
LAFY? on May 4, 2017 at 7:33 pm
I suspect this is is being driven more by LAFY wanting new, fancy offices, because there new digs are going to be incorporated in the new school.
Thanks Yukon Party.
Up 17 Down 3
BnR on May 4, 2017 at 5:52 pm
Yeah, we do get a lot of funding from the rest of Canada, and many of them are Francophones. But there are also Chinese Canadians, Middle Eastern Canadians, I could go on and on, and we owe it them to spend the money wisely, not on a muti-million dollar whim for 20 or 30 students. Oh, but there'll be a climbing wall too! And fancy auditorium that I'm sure we'll ALL get to use. Sarcastic roll of eyes...
Up 15 Down 7
Mark on May 4, 2017 at 5:50 pm
Take the taxpayers money out of the Catholic schools to pay for the dependent French. The Vatican sits upon billions of dollars and pays no tax. The fact that Canada is bilingual in the first place is because Pierre Trudeau used it as a bribe for votes from the unloyal french population.
The facts sure hurt huh?
Up 22 Down 3
yt on May 4, 2017 at 5:44 pm
Joe et Jane, there is nothing in the Canadian constitution that requires separate schools for both official languages. It only speaks to the right to be educated in their language, which can be accomplished in one multilingual school. Section 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms also speaks to public funding only applying where the numbers of students warrants this, and that, right there, is the issue here.
Up 9 Down 40
joe et Jane on May 4, 2017 at 4:17 pm
What a bunch of pitiful whining posts. The Yukon is totally funded by Canadian taxpayers, of which a significant portion are francophones, and yet you have whining rednecks complaining about a school being built as required by the Canadian constitution. That's pretty sad.
Up 15 Down 2
Stanley Miller on May 4, 2017 at 12:46 pm
When will the school be built? Is the $27,000,000 annual cost for the operation of continuing care facility and cost of building the new school why there will be a three year budget deficit totaling about $150,000,000?
Up 28 Down 2
COMEN SENCE on May 4, 2017 at 12:40 pm
I wonder if the students that want to attend this french school, is still subject to the rule that came from Quebec, one parent had to be instructed in French to get in?
Up 45 Down 10
jean on May 3, 2017 at 2:40 pm
I hope the francophones are happy, but I doubt if this will satisfy their perennial whining and begging for more special treatment. They can sit and gloat over how their selfishness has seen $8M diverted from useful things like better health care for all Yukoners, just to satisfy their inflated egos and sense of entitlement. They probably don't even understand why their selfishness makes so many of us disrespect them. Nous n'oublierons pas cela!
Up 62 Down 8
Riverdale Too on May 3, 2017 at 7:09 am
Riverdale, no one is denying the vibrancy nor the significance of our Francophone community, what is being discussed is the necessity of a very small number of students having their very own school. They already have Ecole Emily Trembley for the lower grades, why not continue integrating the high school students in our existing high schools? We are an officially bilingual country after all, isn't it all about integrating and getting along rather than caving to special interests? This is a needless luxury, as our existing schools serve these students already. Save the money for health care.
Up 59 Down 8
Lizzy on May 3, 2017 at 6:08 am
You are seriously telling me that Emilie Tremblay is over flowing with highschool kids? Isn't there only like 12 kids in the graduating class? This is so wasteful and $8 million could be better spent.
Up 32 Down 10
Anonymous on May 2, 2017 at 7:40 pm
Nile, Justin Trudeau's daddy is from where? Quebec. He was falling all over himself to ensure the Québécois would be happy before the election. Do not be surprised.
Up 14 Down 68
Joe et jane on May 2, 2017 at 5:48 pm
Well since francophones are over 25% of the taxpaying Canadian population and, Yukon gets a billion dollar cheque every year from Canadian taxpayers or, about $250 million from francophone taxpayers every year, spending 8 million on a Yukon francophone school seems very reasonable to me.
Up 55 Down 9
yukon56 on May 2, 2017 at 4:43 pm
Cheaper to send them all to boarding school
Up 29 Down 15
jc on May 2, 2017 at 4:41 pm
Mark, not to be sarcastic, but do you know anybody qualified to teach the indigenous language? FN had, since the breakup of the Residential school system to train language teachers. Why haven't they?
Up 22 Down 66
Riverdale on May 2, 2017 at 4:39 pm
A French school close to FH to share some of the infrastructure (track facilities that is also budgeted for) sounds like a reasonable idea. Whitehorse has a large, vibrant French Community that Yukon should be proud off. French is Canada's second official language. This is a good project and its unfortunate to see so many negative comments above. As an English speaking person, I support this and think it's good to support the French language and culture in our community.
Up 19 Down 28
Hey Buddy on May 2, 2017 at 4:31 pm
Bud McGee Because that school was full of asbestos? YP, Liberals and NPD were all in favour of that new school so there must be a reason to build it don't you think? Get your information from proper sources instead of being falsely scandalized.
Up 39 Down 24
Bud McGee on May 2, 2017 at 12:24 pm
Why didn't they spend the money on renovations to the old F.H. Collins? What an insane waste of taxpayers' money.
Up 44 Down 18
Stephane on May 2, 2017 at 10:36 am
Didn't they just tear down a school there? Yet another shameful waste of money.
Up 51 Down 4
Hugh Mungus on May 2, 2017 at 10:29 am
Another school in Riverdale? Brilliant.
Up 46 Down 33
Mark on May 1, 2017 at 8:15 pm
Never mind a francophone school... How about an indigenous languages school.
Up 63 Down 11
BnR on May 1, 2017 at 5:03 pm
Move some Atco trailers onto the lot and call it good, because there's going to be what, 20, 30 students? Get nice Atco's, not some second-second hand oil patch leftovers, but let's not waste too much money on this nonsense.
Up 63 Down 6
Tom W on May 1, 2017 at 4:50 pm
Well...there goes the neighbourhood. Ha ha. Here comes a lot more traffic congestion and still no solutions for entering and exiting Riverdale except for one single bridge. Glad I don't live in Riverdale, but it's going to suck for the rest of you!
Up 73 Down 13
Kramer on May 1, 2017 at 4:44 pm
What a pile of MERDE! The last thing Riverdale needs is another school even if it will only have 100 kids, that's 50-100 more vehicles cramming the already crammed area. There is plenty of room in Whistle Bend for Les Miserables! The old squeaky wheel getting a good old grease job again. Let's have a vote before millions and millions get spent on a select few.
Up 60 Down 14
jc on May 1, 2017 at 4:38 pm
Looks to me that Quebec is looking to develop a satellite city in the north. Or is their vision a satellite territory for Quebecors. And of course our English government politicians are falling all over themselves to do it for the votes it will give them to eventually retire on their high taxpayer supplied pensions. Then of course, most of them will head down south to enjoy their retirement years in their own cultural settings leaving the rest of here to cope with the change.
Up 59 Down 9
ralpH on May 1, 2017 at 4:36 pm
HUH? What ? Wouldn't eight million go a long way and maybe all the way in introducing good French courses in all Yukon Schools? My o My we are talking deficits in future, but there is monies to build more infrastructure with a O&M legacy for a long time to come. Spend it on programming, best investment You can make. There are enough schools already.
Up 73 Down 12
Tater on May 1, 2017 at 4:22 pm
What an absolute waste of taxpayers money. IMHO.
Up 64 Down 7
Nile on May 1, 2017 at 3:26 pm
I guess it was to much to hope that the Libs would scrap this project.