EDMONTON – Edmonton’s new French-language community FM radio station is one step closer to fruition after receiving over $600,000 in federal funding.
The Société radio communautaire du grand Edmonton Society said Monday that it received $400,000 from Western Economic Diversification Canada and almost $296,000 from Canadian Heritage for the new station Radio Cité.
The station aims to serve 38,000 potential listeners with local community programming plus offer advertising options to help promote the 325 businesses and community organizations delivering programs and services in French within the greater Edmonton area. It received CRTC approval in January 2017 to operate at 97.9 MHz.
“All those years of volunteer engagement took place because we all firmly believe in the benefits that this radio can bring to energize and create a united and better-informed Francophone community”, said Société radio communautaire du grande Edmonton Society president Jean Patenaude, in the news release. “Today's announcement regarding the federal government financial support to the programs provided by Western Economic Diversification Canada and Heritage Canada's Strategic Fund confirms that we have every reason to believe in it. This now allows us to get professionally equipped on Radio Cité's road to success."
This funding was announced Monday by Randy Boissonnault, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on LGBTQ2 issues, on behalf of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains and Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly.
"This investment celebrates and promotes Canada's linguistic diversity and will strengthen the vibrant francophone community in greater Edmonton”, added Boissonnault. “I am proud of the Government of Canada's leadership in supporting local official languages groups in fostering their language and culture, enriching their lives, and the lives of those in their community."
