{"id":574311911,"date":"2021-04-29T07:58:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T12:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.winnipegfreepress.com\/our-communities\/correspondents\/2021\/04\/29\/service-canada-closure-prompts-questions"},"modified":"2021-04-29T08:11:59","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T13:11:59","slug":"service-canada-closure-prompts-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winnipegfreepress.com\/our-communities\/correspondents\/2021\/04\/29\/service-canada-closure-prompts-questions","title":{"rendered":"Service Canada closure prompts questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The bilingual Service Canada location on St. Mary’s Road has closed its doors, Radio-Canada reported on April 16. The service has moved to an office on Taylor Avenue in River Heights. The move was announced by Service Canada in an ad in the St Boniface-based French weekly newspaper, La Liberté<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The closure follows the 2014 closure of the bilingual service Canada location in St. Boniface on Des Meurons Street. which relocated downtown.<\/p>\n

This leaves the ‘Riel district’ of St. Boniface, St. Vital and St. Norbert with bilingual service now available only at the tri-governmental service centre on Goulet Street in the Accès–Access Saint-Boniface building.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Photo\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Photo by Ryan Palmquist\nThe bilingual Service Canada location on St. Mary\u2019s Road has closed its doors.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n

When the St. Boniface location was moved in 2014, the change was defended on the grounds that the French-speaking populations most in need of its in-person assistance increasingly live in downtown, Fort Rouge, and other core neighbourhoods west of the Red River, due to the shortage of low-income and affordable housing in St Boniface, especially for new Canadian francophones.<\/p>\n

However, the rationale of providing French services where they are most needed versus where they were traditionally been located deserves further exploration.<\/p>\n

River Heights is less known as a major hub for francophone residents, though the data doesn’t entirely bear that assumption out. A quick review of the City of Winnipeg’s 2016 neighbourhood census profiles identifies two neighbourhoods in River Heights with 13 to 14 per cent of residents identifying as French speakers, with higher numbers in adjacent Fort Rouge neighborhoods such as Earl Grey. The average concentration of French speakers in these neighbourhoods is just above 11 per cent, compared to 16 per cent in the north St. Vital census district.<\/p>\n

Taken together, the three Riel district neighbourhoods – especially St. Boniface – are the clear leaders in French-speaking populations across Winnipeg.<\/p>\n

On a one-to-one basis, however, the comparision between St. Vital and River Heights, is competitive.<\/p>\n

The moves in 2014 and 2021 reflect the broadening reality of francophone life in Winnipeg.
The French-speaking community is no longer a community exclusively concentrated in the St. Boniface, St. Vital and St. Norbert areas.<\/p>\n

Through immigration, economic circumstances and personal preference, River Heights, downtown, and other non-traditional neighbourhoods are seeing French services brought to them to serve the francophonie of 21st century Manitoba<\/p>\n

Ryan Palmquist is a Glenwood resident and executive assistant to St. Boniface city councillor Matt Allard. <\/em><\/p>

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