The Francophone South School District (DSFS) is taking the provincial government to court.
District Education Council members voted unanimously Tuesday night to launch legal action.
It follows what the district describes as years of delays in school infrastructure investments.
“The investments needed to expand and renovate our existing schools and build new ones are clearly insufficient at the DSFS,” said a news release translated from French.
“After years of delays in crucial investments in school infrastructure, which are necessary to meet the rapid population growth of our district, our demands are met with a lack of action from the current government.”
Officials said there have been no new school announcements in their district since the Higgs government arrived in 2018.
The council said it sent a formal notice to the province in the spring, demanding an agreement on the orderly completion of all real estate requests over the next 10 years.
“We have been very patient, but it is clear that the current government does not understand the urgency of defending the rights of our students and ensuring a bright future for our Francophone community,” said the statement.
“The lack of action on the part of the current government continues to threaten student retention in the Francophone education sector and the vitality of the Francophonie in Anglophone communities.”
Officials said the lack of investment also violates linguistic and constitutional rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
It referenced a Supreme Court case where the British Columbia government was found to have contravened linguistic rights guaranteed by the Charter by failing to provide adequate funding to francophone schools in that province.
“The DSFS is facing a situation where our students are suffering the consequences of a lack of political will and continued underfunding,” said the statement.
“Faced with continued inaction, we have no choice but to appeal to the courts to protect the fundamental rights of our students.”
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development declined to comment due to the pending legal action.
