OTTAWA – Saying that “community radio stations will continue contributing to the visibility and vitality of Canada’s minority official-language communities,” the federal government today announced a number of grants totaling $539,471 for a number of French language community radio projects.
Pierre Lemieux, Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages and Member of Parliament (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell), on behalf Josee Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, made the announcement today, the International Day of La Francophonie, in Ottawa.
The funding will, among other things, be used to establish and manage community radio stations
"The Government of Canada knows that print and sound media play an important role in the development of minority official-language communities," said Minister Verner in the press release. "We are proud to work together with key partners, such as the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada, to provide Francophones and Acadians in minority communities with high-quality broadcasting in their own language."
"We are pleased to support community radio in minority communities. They are communications tools that stimulate these communities’ sense of identity and contribute to their development and sustainability," added Lemieux.
"We are extremely pleased about the support from the Department of Canadian Heritage for the development of our network of Francophone and Acadian radio stations," said Roger Ouellette, president of the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada. "Our radio stations play a very important role in the development of minority official-language communities and in the maintenance of the French fact."
The Government of Canada has provided this funding under the Development of Official-Language Communities program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. The program seeks to promote the development of Canada’s Francophone and Anglophone minorities to enable them to fully participate in all aspects of Canadian life.
Below is a list of the projects being funded:
Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada (ARC)
– Support from the Government of Canada: $60,000 (2008-2009)
The support will help ARC, a national organization that works to promote community cooperation, enhance its program of activities.
"Ma radio en francais" – ARC
– Support from the Government of Canada: $26,164 – (2007-2008 to 2008-2009). Through the "Ma radio en francais" project, ARC will offer young Anglophones in immersion programs the opportunity to create radio programs in their second official language.
Cooperative Cheticamp Ltee
– Support from the Government of Canada: $68,190 – (2007-2008 to 2008-2009). With the help of this funding, the radio station set up a repeater station at Pompquet to expand its broadcasting range to cover Antigonish County and the southern part of Inverness County, which had no French-language radio.
Cooperative Radio Richmond Ltee
– Support from the Government of Canada: $197,687 – (2007-2008 to 2008-2009). In March 2006, the radio station received its broadcasting licence from the CRTC. This funding will allow it to purchase and install radio equipment so that it can begin broadcasting.
Radio Web provinciale – Federation des Francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador Inc.
– Support from the Government of Canada: $111,400 – (2007-2008 to 2008-2009). The support will allow the Federation des Francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador to set up a French-language web radio station for the province.
Cooperative Radio Halifax Metro Ltee
– Support from the Government of Canada: $5,000 – (2007-2008). Funding of $5,000 is in addition to the $88,500 provided earlier for start- up of the radio station and equipment costs.
Radio Communautaire KapNord Inc.
– Support from the Government of Canada: $21,030 – (2007-2008). This funding helped Radio KapNord to modernize its equipment and upgrade its broadcast quality.
Societe Radio Communautaire Victoria
– Support from the Government of Canada: $10,000 – (2007-2008). The support helped the radio station undertake strategic planning with the aim of expanding its audience and readjusting its programming.
Cooperative Radiophonique de Toronto Inc.
– Support from the Government of Canada: $40,000 – (2007-2008). Of the support, $26,000 went to the development of a strategic plan with the aim of stabilizing the radio station and diversifying its activity so that it will be financial viable. The remaining $14,000 went toward upgrading broadcast quality.
