Live in French in Prince George

Duration: 3:43 minutes

Soft music builds to a crescendo. On a white background, a text appears: "Welcoming Francophone communities promote the integration of newcomers into French-speaking communities."

An overview of the mountains appears in the distance. Then, we see an overview of the city of Prince George. Then, we see a person on a bike in a park. Then, an aerial shot of the city of Prince George. On this image, a map of British Columbia appears, along with a title:

"Prince George
British Columbia
About 10% of the population is made up of immigrants."

This is followed by an aerial image of a residential area of the city. Then, a glassed-in downtown building and a city transit bus. This is followed by a scene of Linda in her office chatting with two other colleagues. She then looks directly into the camera, laughing. Text appears on this image:

“Linda Boni
Coordinator
Communauté Francophone Accueillante”

We return to the scene of Linda chatting with colleagues in her office. Then we see her addressing the camera, standing in front of the Cercle des Canadiens français library.

Linda Boni: I've been in Canada for eight years now. There were more job opportunities here in Prince George. And it was my first time working in French. I love French, I'd almost lost it. For me, losing French meant almost losing a part of myself. Because I was born Francophone.

We continue with an aerial image of the city of Prince George. Still in aerial view, we can see several small houses. A text appears on this image:
"Once a month, the Francophone community organizes a multicultural activity open to all."

We see Linda giving a presentation to several other members of the community. Then we see other people who also come to give presentations. People in the audience take pictures with their phones, laughing. Then we return to an image of Linda addressing the camera.

Linda Boni: We have the freedom to create activities that not only allow us to meet other people, but also make other French-speaking members feel part of a community. And that's what we really appreciate about this community: it's very, very close-knit. We help each other out, we love each other, because we know that the French language has also diminished a little, and to enable this language to continue to evolve and grow, we work together with the community.

We cut to an image of a sign reading "Downtown Prince George Welcomes You". Then we see an image of young people getting off a school bus. Nancy is seen walking in the schoolyard, accompanied by young people. This is followed by a shot of her standing in front of the playground. She looks directly at the camera. On this image, a text appears:

“Nancy Gauthier
Director
École Franco-Nord”

Nancy Gauthier: Here at Franco-Nord, we're the only French-language school in the region.

This is followed by an image of Nancy accompanied by another educator talking to young people in a classroom. The youngsters raise their hands and then address the teacher. This is followed by an overall shot of youngsters playing in a playground model. A text appears over this image:

"The Conseil scolaire francophone is growing substantially in British Columbia."

We cut to an aerial shot of downtown Prince George. This is followed by a scene of Nancy working at her desk on her computer. We then cut to an ensemble shot of young people dancing and having fun in a classroom. We cut to a shot of Nancy addressing the camera in the school library. We return to images in the classroom, then cut to images of young people having fun in front of the camera in the recreation room. The scene continues with young people waving at the camera. The scene ends with an aerial shot of the school.

Nancy Gauthier: Our school offers francization services to help young people learn the French language, as well as orthopedagogical services. We also offer after-school care. Here in Prince George, we live in a predominantly English-speaking community. By necessity, the children here are all becoming bilingual, learning English. There are many advantages to sending your child to a Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique school. One of the biggest advantages is that in Grade 12, when kids graduate, they get a diploma in both French and English. This opens doors for them, because they can go to a French or English university.

A montage sequence of several long shots of downtown buildings follows. We cut to an image of Sarah walking down a downtown shopping street. This is followed by a long shot of the public library. Then we see Sarah standing in front of the Cercle des Canadiens français building. Text appears on this image:

« Sarah Maurice
Director
Cercle des Canadiens français »

Sarah Maurice: Prince George has the best of both worlds. You've got all the cultural excitement, and you've got everything at your fingertips.

We continue with a scene of Sarah walking through the forest. She stops to observe the expanse of water before her. This is followed by an aerial shot of a lake with mountains in the background. We cut to an aerial shot of downtown. Then we see more images of buildings and houses. Then we see Sarah walking down a tree-lined street.

Sarah Maurice: You can go from shopping in the morning to hiking in the afternoon. So nature is everywhere—everywhere. All the services you'd expect from a big city are close at hand. The cost of living is affordable, whether for groceries, housing or even health care. Prince George is well known for its high quality of life.

We cut to an aerial image of the bridge over the river. A text appears on this image:

"The main sectors of economic activity in the region are forestry and education."

A person walks along the street. This is followed by a scene of Sarah and a colleague chatting in an office. We then see Sarah speaking directly to the camera, standing in another office. We return to the scene where people from the community were making introductions. Sarah is now addressing the people. We cut to a shot of the river just outside town. Then we see a man walking in the forest. We cut to a general shot of a lake.

Sarah Maurice: The Francophone community is small, but it does exist. And the Cercle des Canadiens français is really the heart of this Francophonie in Prince George. At the Cercle, we offer many services to Francophone newcomers. We accompany them from A to Z, from the beginning to their arrival and settlement, but also to meet the Francophone community so that they can feel at home and stay. Because it's not just about coming to work, it's really about socializing, getting to know the community, making friends, getting to know people so you can go out and really love Prince George.

We cut to an aerial image of a road passing through the forest. Cars drive on it. This is followed by an image of a sunset on the city skyline. Text appears on this image:

“For more information on services in French: bienvenueaprincegeorge.ca.”

The music stops. On a white background, we see the department's symbol, a small Canadian flag with the text: "Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada". We see the Government of Canada symbol: the Canadian flag flying on a white background.