The English-Speaking Community of the Lower Saint Lawrence Spring 2013 Crucial Crossroads for the English-speaking Community Word from the President Is the English-speaking community of Québec else, they set a tone that suggests that English at a crucial crossroads? Reading the media cover- is a foreign language in Quebec and that the age over the past few months suggests that we English-speaking community is a threat. The Table of Contents are. Aside from the absurd and almost surreal debate is decades old and it is difficult to separate events surrounding “Pastagate” (where inspectors perception from truth. And the battleground to Word from the President 1 from the Office Québécoise de la langue fran- preserve and promote French as the language of çaise suggested to Montreal restaurants that they work and culture is mostly a battle confined to Metis Beach School Poems 2 should remove words such “pasta” and “WC” Montreal and the surrounding communities. In from their establishments), there is a change at our area, where less than 1% of the population Newcomer Profile 4 both the provincial and the federal level. speaks English as a mother tongue, our commu- nity poses no threat. And recent initiatives by At the provincial level, new legislation (Bill 14) Heritage Lower Saint Lawrence, such as the Youth News 6 is proposing to modify the laws governing the creation of a bilingual library and the hosting of use of French (and thereby English) in the prov- events and workshops for community members Community News 7 ince. And at the federal level, the government has in English and French suggests that our commu- done nothing tangible to affirm its commitment nity is very forward-thinking when it comes to Health and Social Services 8 to the official languages and is perceived as being promoting literacy and reading in all languages. a tepid enthusiast when it comes to promoting the vision of a bilingual Canada or at the very One hopes that the democratic process will From the Archives 10 least a bilingual federal civil service. improve the legislation and the language climate. And a new commitment by the federal govern- Calendar 11 Those of us living in the Lower St. Lawrence ment to bilingualism and to support learning have always lived a very different linguistic and using French and English will re-affirm the existence than English-speakers in other parts virtues of a bilingual Canada. In the meantime, Donation Form 11 of the province. Where I grew up in the Outa- our organization will continue its efforts to serve ouais region of Québec, we were used to having our community, all the while offering to our Last Word 12 English schools, churches, Cégep, newspaper region an example of how linguistic harmony and access to English-language arts, entertain- can be achieved and lived on a daily basis. ment and culture. And our governments, be it Our Organization 12 municipal, provincial and federal, could serve Alexander Reford us in the language of our choice. The same was President, Heritage Lower Saint Lawrence true for the English-speaking communities in Montreal and environs, the Eastern Townships and elsewhere in the province. In our region, this has never been the case. We have a handful of institutions and never expect to be served by government staff in English. So should we be worried? Are the changes bringing new threats? Sober analysis suggests that the proposed changes will further weaken the English- speaking community and its institutions. They will weaken mobility and further limit access to English-language schools. And if nothing Photo: Claude Morin Photo: 1 Metis Beach SchoolPoems On Friday, December 14th, the took part in the contest. The The judges were Gilbert Bossé, second annual Brian Powell students were given creative Jennie Hurwood, and Sarah Poetry Writing Contest was freedom regarding the content Phillips. The poetry winners underway at Metis Beach and form of their poems received a small monetary prize School. Fifty-six students, from resulting in very imaginative for their winning poems. The first grades one to secondary five, and powerful work. place poems are published here. 1st MY dog Nicky My dog Nicky was the Best of all dogs He was Kind Loving Animal Move And gentle Run like a baby lion He would not hurt A fly Fast! Fast! Fast! But now he is gone Walk like an iguana Far away up over our heads Slow! Slow! Slow! We dream day and night of Swim like a walrus Him and wish that he would Fast! Fast! Fast! Still be here with us Swing like a monkey in the tree. I will always remember him Move like the animals that you see. By Lucas Roy By Leila Roy Grade 1 Grade 5 2 Love Love is special, Love is in your heart. HAPPY Love is here and there, Love is everywhere. I love feeling happy. Love you give, It makes me feel good. Love you get. Love stays, Happy is seeing my mom Suzie. Love runs away. Love you can’t see, Happy is walking in the wood. Love you can feel! Happy is hearing and seeing bluejays. Love in you is… a thing you keep forever! Happy is when it’s my birthday. By Marguerite Gagne Duplisea By Julia Dionne Grade 4 Grade 2 Nightmare One night I had a nightmare A nightmare about a man The Music Of The World Music of the countryside, a slow melody, A man that wanted to take me It’s everywhere, wherever you are, Away forever It’s there, maybe you can’t see it, You will find it, I’m sure you will, Forever Maybe you can’t touch it, It’s beautiful or sad, Is a long time You will hear it someday, It’s dreadful or bad, The next night Maybe you don’t try hard enough Anyone can hear I had the same nightmare To notice it, The music of the world But I saw the man Do you hear it now? He was blue Do you feel it now? By Louise Lapierre I could put Music of the city, a strong, fast beat, Grade 6 My hand through him I woke up I was scared By Kaitlin Edmonds Grade 3 The Finale Guns blaze, guns roar and bullets fly. final say is his to have. The men are ready They spread a deadly net; a net of His plane makes the final stretch; he The bombs are armed death. makes the final effort. The signal is given, the engines start The planes are hit; the planes are One last shot by a dying man. The planes rise into the sky. burning One less ship to fight. Engines roaring, propellers turning The pilots scream; they lose control. Desperation or revenge The bomb laden planes are coming They crash; they sink Whatever his motivation But the enemy is waiting... A plane is left; a single man. It was an act of bravery The targets are below; ships of steel. His plane is burning; his death ap- A finale. proaches. The leader suddenly takes fright By Simon Lapierre At the horrifying sight... But the final act is his to make; the Seconday 2 3 Newcomer Profile: Dale Orton, Rivière-du-Loup Two things you have for life - Susan Woodfine Dale Orton knew at an early age that he wanted [a career] I thought about, it just happened. I preferred to speak English, plus we had about 20 to leave his tiny picturesque village of Stainton le loved to draw as a child, I did it all the time and different levels happening so we didn’t advance,” Vale, in Lincolnshire, England. Back then, Orton it came easily.” explains Dale, “ I know this affects my perception of was keen to travel and find someplace warm, or at Rimouski and in a lot of ways I only have myself to least warmer than where he came from. Equipped Orton left Scotland for the land Down Under, blame because I was so shy, lacked confidence. I also with a fine arts degree, Orton did a fair bit of then made his way over to New Zealand, and life figured we were heading back to New Zealand after traveling in Europe, as well as making it to several was good, in fact, Orton describes it as amazing. a few years so I didn’t try hard enough.” To make warm and exotic destinations, including Australia But back in Scotland something would happen things harder, Orton had a brutal time adjusting to and New Zealand. that would change his life forever. Orton found the cold winds of the south shore of the St. Lawrence, out that a Québécoise woman he dated in Scot- “The coldness of Rimouski; I remember going out in While living in Scotland, Orton added a trade to land had given birth to a child, and it was his! the morning and those freezing icy winds. I go to his tool belt: he completed an apprenticeship to For Orton, it was a no brainer; he wanted to be Australia, New Zealand, then ended up in a place become a professional tattoo artist. Looking back, present in his daughter’s life so he packed up his colder than England.” Tattoo Dale, as he is now known, is quite pleased bags and left the hot country he’d dreamed of with how things have to follow the mother of his child to a very cold Employment was not a given when he arrived in turned out, “It climate: Montreal, Rimouski, then Rivière-du- Rimouski.