French recreational programs lacking
Francophones in Ottawa’s west end presented with fewer opportunities
Barrhaven ought to have been the perfect place for François Bordeleau and his wife to raise a family.
The couple moved there in 2005 to start an active life for their three young boys — now 6, 9 and 11 — in a bilingual household. But there was a catch: In Ottawa’s west end, it’s not always easy to raise your family in French.
At least, that’s the case when it comes to registering for city-run recreational programs in west Ottawa, where French-language offerings are “scarce” and “rarely optimal,” he said.
“It’s just not enough,” said Bordeleau. “I felt pissed off because you figure, why the hell can’t I get the services that I feel that I’m entitled to, and that anybody else that speaks the other official language can get very easily?”
He’s taken his boys to French swimming lessons at the nearby Pinecrest Recreation Complex, but they were only offered on Sundays at 8 a.m. For skating lessons in French, he’s had to travel downtown, or even as far east as St. Laurent.
“If it’s really important to you … you do have to go outside of your neighbourhood,” he said.
French recreational programs in the west end have not kept up with a rapidly growing French population in those areas. The problem is two-fold, according to the city and its community partners: there’s a lack of French programming, but there’s also low registration for the classes that actually are offered. It’s a bit of a vicious circle, as relatively few French-language offerings in the west results in low visibility of the city’s parks and recreation programs among west Ottawa’s francophones. They just don’t know the programs exist.
As a proportion of the francophone population, recreational programming in French in Ottawa’s west end is less than 40 per cent of what’s available in the east, according to city data from 2014. The data categorized programs based on an east-west divide along the Rideau River and canal.
The deficit prompted Bordeleau to join the Centre Communautaire Franc-Ouest, an organization for which he’s served as president since 2010. The French-language advocacy group works with the city partner to boost the quality and quantity of French recreational programming in west-end neighbourhoods.
Everyone agrees that accommodating a rapidly growing francophone population is a challenge.
“It’s not a new issue, but there’s been an increased emphasis in the last few years,” said Dan Chenier, the City of Ottawa’s general manager of parks, recreation and cultural services. “It’s getting better, (but) it’s still a challenge.”
Census information shows the number of French speakers in west Ottawa grew by 20 per cent between 2006 and 2011, compared with only four per cent in the east. Barrhaven, South Nepean and Stittsville are among the fastestgrowing French-speaking communities in Ottawa, each with more than 50 per cent growth.
“The population is there. It’s just that, unfortunately, when you get to a situation such as ours, the city cannot completely provide uniquely francophone services to all its population,” said Roger Presseault, director of the Centre communautaire franc-ouest.
But despite the growing population, people aren’t always signing up.
The city’s program planning department works on a straightforward supply-and-demand basis. A program runs as long as enough people register to cover the cost. As a result, Chenier said, the city ends up cancelling a large portion of what’s offered because registration requirements aren’t met.
Francophone community organizers in the west end suggest that the French-speaking population has grown so large so quickly that residents haven’t all been able to get acquainted with the services available to them. By contrast, the eastend has a long-established francophone community that extends to the pre-amalgamation days.
“We’re not a known provider in those communities, so we’re not a natural go-to,” said Chenier.
Therein lies a responsibility shared among the city and community organizations to create a greater presence, said Renée Duchesne, president of the Centre multi-services francophone de l’Ouest d’Ottawa. In June, the organization broke ground on a new community centre on Richmond Road called the Maison de la francophonie, in the former Grant Alternative School donated by the city.
“It’s quite unrealistic to ask people to drive from the west part of the city to the east to do everything in French,” said Duchesne.
Chenier said the city has attempted to reduce program cancellations by replacing consistently unfilled programs with different ones, held at more convenient times and locations. He’s also optimistic about program subsidies from both of Ottawa’s French-language school boards that could “build up habits for the next generation.” However, co-ordinators also constantly run into problems finding qualified part-time staff to facilitate the activities, he said.
Bordeleau said parents deserve better options to “make the francophone space for (their) kids as wide as possible,” which he believes extends beyond home and school.
“You figure to yourself, I’m from Ottawa and there should be an equal access to programs in French for my kids,” said Bordeleau. “I’m not alone. I’m sure others are looking for the same programs and have the same needs.”