It isn’t often that five year olds get to step into the role of educator, but that’s exactly what happens when five-year-old Orley heads home after kindergarten.
“Do mom and dad speak French?” the little boy is asked.
A smile extends across his face as he replies.
“I’m teaching them.”
He goes on to count to 20 in French and sing the entirety of Bonjour Mes Amis.
Wondga taught 18 French immersion kindergartners at Edmonton’s Oliver School last year. This year, 24 are enrolled and interest continues to climb.
“Parents want their children to learn languages. They want them to have what they didn’t have and they want them to experience new things at school.”
WATCH (June 17, 2019):A group of community volunteers wants to install bilingual stop signs in parts of Calgary’s Mission district. Joel Senick explains why they believe it’s an important step in recognizing the area’s French history.
1:31 Community volunteers want bilingual signs in Calgary neighbourhood with French roots
Community volunteers want bilingual signs in Calgary neighbourhood with French roots
Statistics Canada tracked the rate of English-French bilingualism in a cohort of children, aged five to 17 years old. In the 10 years between 2006 and 2016, the rate of bilingualism increased from 17 per cent to 27 per cent.
That is no surprise to Pierre-Yves Mocquais, the dean of the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean. It’s a premier training centre for French teachers in Canada.
“There is a greater and greater interest for French immersion.
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“A lot of parents, who themselves have gone through French immersion during the first generation, now want their kids to do the same,” Mocquais explained. “The increase is therefore exponential.”
Mocquais says demand is so high that in spite of doubling the number of French education graduates over the last four years, there still aren’t enough educators to teach French. He believes the issue represents a shift in Canadian culture.
“The generation of the 30-somethings right now are sensitive to that.
“They see it not only as added value for the future but as part of what it is to be Canadian.”
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For Wondga, learning French as a child opened education and career opportunities, including a Quebec exchange program in high school and a practicum in France. It also awakened her passion for languages: she is now fluent in five.
“Learning as many languages is beneficial to anybody. It’s a great tool to have.”
WATCH (Feb. 4, 2016): After a declining interest in bilingualism Saskatoon schools are seeing a rebound. Joel Senick takes a look at what’s changed in the teaching community to make students take another look at French immersion.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
