Francophone students in Smithers are a step closer to having a school now that funding has been approved to purchase a site.
The Province has provided the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF) with $2.1 million to purchase property for a future permanent home for école La Grande-ourse in Smithers. École La Grande-ourse offers classes from Kindergarten to Grade 7 to the francophone population.
With the lease ending for the current space used to operate école La Grande-ourse, the new site purchase, at the southeastern corner of Vancouver Street and 3rd Avenue (the old Chandler Park Elementary School site), will ensure francophone students have a place to learn for many years to come, a press release stated.
Now that a school site has been secured, the Province will work with the CSF to find the best short- and long-term solutions to meet the needs of the community’s francophone students and families, it said.
“I am proud of the work we are doing to support Smithers’ francophone students and their families by purchasing a site for the école La Grande-ourse,” said Nathan Cullen, MLA for Stikine. “Our government is taking significant steps to meet the demand for French-language education in Smithers.”
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