Yukon Territorial Government Francophone Settlement

Friday, 3 April 2020 17:08

The Government of Yukon and Commission Scolaire Francophone du Yukon (CSFY) have reached a settlement agreement to address and resolve all issues from the 2009 lawsuit.

The two parties worked collaboratively through this committee to resolve issues that were raised during the court case about French First Language education in Yukon. The settlement committee was composed of six members, three nominated by each party. They have been negotiating through a joint settlement committee since August 2015.

The Government of Yukon and Commission Scolaire Francophone du Yukon worked together to clarify the roles and responsibilities in managing French First Language education in Yukon in a way that respects the requirements of both the Yukon Education Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in regard to minority language education rights. A significant outcome of this process has been the agreement on building a new French First Language secondary school, which will provide additional learning spaces, including a gymnasium, and facilities for these programs and the community.

Minister of Education Tracy-Anne McPhee said in a statement, The settlement of this case is a very positive achievement. Our government worked with the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon to make important changes for French First Language education in Yukon. I am proud of the renewed partnership and look forward to our work together to support French First Language students, and all students in Yukon.

The Settlement agreement aims to resolve all of the outstanding issues, including:

Construction of the new French First Language Secondary School
Interim measures to address the need for learning spaces at École Émilie-Tremblay
Roles and responsibilities of the School Board of Trustees
Human resources, including teaching staff, at Yukon French First Language schools
Roles and responsibilities in managing French First Language school buildings
Funding from the previous bilateral agreement

The new French First Language Secondary School will be accessible to user groups during evenings and weekends through a Joint Use Agreement with the City of Whitehorse, including the school gymnasium.

An agreement has also been reached to ensure the three schools on the Riverdale Campus work collaboratively to optimize the use of facilities.

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