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“The official opening of École Saint-Augustin marks a special day for French language education in Prince Edward Island,” said Premier Ghiz. “This project is the result of the hard work done by the construction planning committee over the past three years. The new school and community spaces, located in the heart of Rustico, will foster a greater connection to the Acadian and Francophone language and culture.”

The new École Saint-Augustin is located on the Church Road, situated in the historic and cultural heart of Rustico, along with the Farmers Bank, Doucet House and St. Augustine Church, which was built in 1838.

The 23,253 square foot facility houses students from Kindergarten to Grade 6. It also includes an area for the Conseil Acadien de Rustico, Conseil office and a cultural development office. The community will be offering an Early Years Centre – Les p’tits rayons de soleil for children in the 0-4 age group.

“The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is pleased to partner with the community of Rustico to provide a modern school that will meet the needs of students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 for generations to come,” said Minister Alan McIsaac. “École Saint-Augustin is located in a culturally significant area which allows students to be immersed in French Language education and culture. I would also like to thank the contractors and tradespeople who worked on this project and congratulate everyone on a job well done.”

A construction planning committee for École Saint-Augustin was introduced in 2009 to determine what amenities were to be included in the final design. The committee included individuals from the community of Rustico, parents, the school principal, as well as representatives from La Commission scolaire de langue française, and the departments of Education and Early Childhood Development, Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, and Tourism and Culture.

“The history of education in Rustico illustrates clearly the crucial relationship between the availability of French first language education and the survival of French as the daily language of communication, even within the family home. This becomes very obvious in the personal testimonies of two speakers from the community, Yvonne Doucette and Janet Maddix,” said Conseil acadien de Rustico co-presidents Michelle Pineau and Andy Gallant. “Today’s official opening marks an important event in the life of one of the Island’s oldest and most Acadian of communities – a community where many of the province’s first steps in French language education were taken. Once again there is a French language community centre in the region of francophone Rustico.”

The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, also marked the official opening of the school and community centre.

“Our support for the Centre acadien Grand-Rustico demonstrates our commitment to the Francophones of Prince Edward Island. Our Government is proud to invest in protecting the French language and culture across the country and in allowing all Canadians to benefit from both of our official languages.”

The educational and cultural investment of $6 million was provided by the Government of Prince Edward Island and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage.