French-language city services are lacking in Winnipeg, report says

The City of Winnipeg is having difficulty offering French-language services to bilingual residents, according to a report.

The 2018-2022 Annual Reports on French Language Services states that limited resources have resulted in delayed improvements to services in French, and that francophone communities don't have enough access to services in both official languages.

The report's findings will be discussed by city council's executive policy committee this week.

The city says it's working on updating its five-year plan for French-language services, with the focus centred around three things: communication, strengthening governance and better management.

Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface) isn't surprised by the report's findings, saying there's a gap in Winnipeg's legal obligations to provide French-language services, especially in the Riel district — St. Boniface, St. Vital and St. Norbert.

"It stands to reason that if residents of … the Riel district have the rights of service in French, then the way services are delivered in the city of Winnipeg is mostly centralized. And so having that French service delivery from [all] departments just makes sense," Allard said Monday.

He would like to see a program in which the city receives matching financial dollars for its investment in bilingual services, similar to the financial-matching mechanism between the provincial and federal governments.

"As a St. Boniface resident, I live a rich life full of French organizations where French is the language spoken," Allard said. "And there isn't that level of support from the federal government, for municipalities specifically."

He understands that retaining bilingual employees is challenging, but he'd also like to see the percentage of the city departments' bilingual employees match the approximate 10 per cent of Winnipeggers who speak French.

An estimated five per cent of the city's employees at the end of 2022 were bilingual, according to city documents.

"I think over time, people have generally gotten used to it being a bit of a hassle to ask for service in French, and therefore for those people who do speak both official languages, opt for … English," Allard said.

"It would be excellent if every single call or somebody were asked for French and that that language could be delivered as seamlessly as it is delivered in English most of the time."

There are some positive signs following the addition of a French-language services co-ordinator in 2016, he said. But the report disagrees.

"All departments continue to struggle and encounter obstacles in implementing French language services. The French Language Services Division continues to see an increased amount of complaints in being unable to provide consistent service in French across our organization," the report states.

The division and Société de la francophonie manitobaine need to be included in the process of enhancing the delivery of municipal services in both English and French for the 2022-26 French Language Services five-year plan, the report said.

"The SFM wants to see the francophonie make our city shine economically, socially, and culturally," the report states in part. "It is important to address French language services in the city as the result of an organizational culture and not simply a check box of a procedural process."

The executive policy committee meets Wednesday.