PEI

New centre helps francophone newcomers 'settle and thrive' in P.E.I.

The Francophone Newcomers Assistance Centre opened in Charlottetown during National Francophone Immigration Week late last month and provides French-speaking newcomers with settlement services.

Francophone Newcomers Assistance Centre opened in Charlottetown in late October

A bus leaving École François-Buote in Charlottetown.
The Francophone Newcomers Assistance Centre is located at École François-Buote on Acadian Drive in Charlottetown. (Google Maps)

There's a new centre for French-speaking immigrants on P.E.I. to help provide them with settlement services such as help getting a health card or finding housing.

The Francophone Newcomers Assistance Centre opened in Charlottetown during National Francophone Immigration Week late last month.

Bonnie Gallant, executive director of RDÉE, the provincial francophone economic development council, says they've offered provincewide services for two to three years and found that not enough people knew they were available.

"It's important to grow our population and one of the means of doing that is to recruit francophone newcomers and help them settle and thrive in our communities," she said.

She said the centre is a one-stop-shop for everything newcomers need to settle here on the Island and is part of a new marketing strategy that "very clearly states that we are there to give services for francophone newcomers."

The centre is located at École François-Buote on Acadian Drive.

With files from Brittany Spencer