Acadian Flag Licence Plates Funding Helps Build Stronger Communities

NOTE: A list of the 10 communities and their projects follows this release.

Donations from the sale of more than 600 Acadian flag licence plates are being returned to the Acadian and francophone communities from where they came.

The Vive l'Acadie Community Fund, which supports Acadian and francophone community cultural projects, raised more than $30,000 in its first year. Community groups are using the funds to support cultural activities such as artistic workshops, music concerts, theatre productions, festivals and heritage conservation.

"The Vive l'Acadie Community Fund is made possible by donations from Acadians, francophones in every region of the province," said Acadian Affairs Minister David Wilson. "The Acadian flag licence plate program has had tremendous success over the past year, and I'm proud that the funding will help our vibrant Acadian and francophone communities become even stronger."

The funding goes to the 10 established regional associations of la Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse mandated to promote and preserve Acadian and francophone culture and heritage.

"The licence plate in both of Canada's official languages, with the Acadian flag, shows the provincial government's support for Acadian and francophone culture in Nova Scotia," said Claude Renaud, président du Conseil communautaire du Grande Havre. "Nova Scotians can support the Acadian community by donating $50 to get the Acadian licence plate, and that amount gets invested directly into activities that help develop the Acadian community's identity."

To learn how to get an Acadian flag licence plate, go to www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/access/drivers/acadian-flag-licence-plate.asp . To follow the province's French Twitter account, add @GouvNE.

Following is a list of the 10 associations using the funding for activities that contribute to the social, economic, educational and spiritual life of their communities:

• L'Association francophone de la Vallée: $1,650 for a theatre production.
• L'Association du Centre communautaire de la Rive-Sud: $1,100 toward Acadian Day Celebrations on Aug. 15
• Le Centre communautaire Étoile de l'Acadie (Sydney): $1,350 for a conference on Acadian women's contribution to the community, and a music workshop
• Le Centre communautaire francophone de Truro: $1,500 for the ir centre's official opening ceremonies, and a theatrical production
• Le Conseil acadien de Par-en-Bas: $3,850 for the Festival du bon temps
• Le Conseil communautaire du Grand-Havre (HRM): $11,650 for several events including a volunteer recognition event, celebrations for Saint-Jean Baptiste day and Acadian day and the Festival des cultures francophones
• La Picasse, Centre communautaire culturel (Petit-de-Grat): $1,700 for several activities including a volunteer recognition night, a day of commemoration of Louisbourg’s 300th anniversary, and a musical concert.
• La Société Saint-Pierre (Chéticamp): $2,000 for an event highlighting Acadian culture in Louisbourg's history
• La Société acadienne de Clare: $4,700 for a French-language services awareness campaign and an event celebrating the region's musical talents
• La Société acadienne Sainte-Croix (Pomquet): $550 to digitize photos documenting Pomquet's history