Families with students enrolled in the Sunshine Coast’s francophone programs will now be represented by Halfmoon Bay resident Roger Lagassé, who was elected School District 93 trustee in a landslide on Oct. 20.
Lagassé took 71 per cent, or 145 votes compared to incumbent Robert Joncas’ 58 for the BC South Coast area. Turnout increased more than four per cent across the district to 17 per cent, or 1,060 voters. Lagassé said turnout was especially high in the South Coast, which saw voter turnout climb from about 50 votes in 2014 to approximately 200 this election.
“I was really pleased with the increase in voter turnout, but we need to do more to ensure there is more participation,” Lagassé told Coast Reporter following the election. During the campaign, Lagassé said he focused on voter participation, and worked with volunteers throughout the French language school board electoral area, which includes Pemberton, Whistler, Squamish and Upper and Lower Sunshine Coast.
The trustee-elect said he plans to prioritize funding to address “a real feeling of urgency in several of the communities” in need of new facilities. He cited Pemberton, where all classes are held in portables. He also pointed to Sechelt and a 2016 BC Supreme Court ruling that students attending a number of francophone schools in B.C., including École du Pacifique in Sechelt, are “chronically underfunded.”
“That judgment was pretty categorical and there hasn’t been much movement, so maybe we can get our MLA involved, because that’s something they can do to support their constituents,” Lagassé said.
Robert Filion was elected by acclamation in Southeastern BC, Patrick Gatien was elected in the Greater Vancouver area, Marie-Christine Claveau was elected in Northern BC, Marie-Pierre Lavoie was elected for Southern Vancouver Island, Annette Azar-Diehl was elected by acclamation for the Fraser Valley and Annie Bédard was elected in Northern Vancouver Island.
The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colom-bie-Britannique (CSF) was founded in 1995 and provides French education programs and services throughout the province. The organization serves 6,100 students at 41 schools in 100 B.C. communities.
