N.W.T. French school board considers Supreme Court appeal

The school board and parents' association representing French-speaking students in the Northwest Territories say they are considering an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada after two 2012 court decisions ordering the expansion of francophone schools were overturned last week.

The decisions, which ordered expansions for Hay River's École Boréale and Yellowknife's École Allain St-Cyr, were overturned Friday following a successful appeal from the Government of the Northwest Territories. The GNWT however is still required to provide a gym and special education classroom for École Allain St-Cyr. 

"We're happy that they recognized we needed more facilities at the school," said Jacques Lemarche, the president of Yellowknife's francophone parents' association. 

"But when you look at the whole global picture, it became apparent they're doing nothing for École Boréale at Hay River, and we didn't get any of what the [French school board] was asking for."

Justice Louise Charbonneau ruled in 2012 that the number of eligible francophone students in both Yellowknife and Hay River necessitated the expansions. The territorial court of appeal ruled that Charbonneau erred in determining the number of eligible students, and that facilities ordered for Yellowknife, such as science labs and rooms for home economics and band, were "desirable, but not necessary."

But the eligible enrolment numbers determined by the appeal court may be misleading, Suzette Montreuil, the president of the Commission scolaire francophone Territories du Nord-Ouest, said today.

"Both schools (École Boréale and Allain St-Cyr) were built essentially as primary schools, and we're looking at developing secondary schools," she said. 

"We keep getting told that our numbers are small. But our arguments were always that part of the reason our numbers are small is that we don't offer the same infrastructure that other high schools are offering."

According to numbers provided by the Commission scolaire francophone, the number of students at École Allain St-Cyr has increased to 134 from 110 in 2009, when court action was initiated. Attendance at École Boréale has dropped to 85 from 115 over the same time period, though the Commission points to a 2008 directive by the territorial government restricting admission to children of Canadian francophone parents.

That directive was challenged successfully as part of the 2012 court decision, but was overturned in last week's appeal.

The groups have two months to officially launch an appeal.