Literacy groups get funding boost

December 12, 2017

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The Equity

Both the Jardin éducatif du Pontiac and the Western Quebec Literacy Council received funding boosts from the province. From left: Jardin éducatif principal Martin Riopel, Pontiac MNA André Fortin, WQLC director Michelle Gagnon and President of the WQLC board of directors Deborah Powell.

Chris Lowrey
CAMPBELL’S BAY
Dec. 11, 2017
The Jardin éducatif du Pontiac and the Western Quebec Literacy Council (WQLC) both got good news on Dec. 11 – they will each be getting a funding boost from the provincial government.
The announcement was made by Pontiac MNA André Fortin at the WQLC office in Campbell’s Bay.
The Jardin éducatif du Pontiac will receive $84,928 and the WQLC will get $109,076.
The Jardin éducatif du Pontiac has not had a grant increase in more than 10 years, according to Martin Riopel, the principal of the Jardin éducatif du Pontiac.
“The base financing hasn’t moved in years,” said Riopel.

He said that the lowest possible amount an organization can receive from the province is $50,000 – a number the Jardin has been stuck at for more than a decade.
Last year, the Jardin got a one-time funding increase thanks to provincial surplus. But the one-and-done nature of the funding meant that the organization was unsure about future funding arrangements.
The newly-announced funding increase will bring stability to the organizations as well as those who administer the programs.
The new funding arrangement will be in place for the next five years, which will allow the organizations to form longer-term plans than they could in the past.
“This increase will go a long way,” said Fortin.
This will help the organizations with community outreach. One of the biggest issues for the two groups is the fact that those who are most in need of literacy services are also least likely to seek them out.
“It’s not necessarily just people who can’t read,” Fortin said. “They aim to help people improve their reading.”
Fortin said literacy is a key skill, especially in today’s current job market. And without literacy skills, people’s lives can be much more difficult.
“It’s hard to get a job, it’s hard to keep a job and it’s hard to manage your life,” he said.
The staff from both the Jardin and the WQLC pointed to government application forms that are notoriously difficult to navigate as one barrier to those with limited literacy skills.
The two organizations work closely with one another. The Jardin helps students who are still in school; once they are 18 and graduate, many of them use the services of the WQLC.

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