HRM rolling out bilingual stop signs near French schools this month

The Halifax Regional Municipality is hoping to have 150 bilingual stop signs at intersections around Conseil scolaire acadien provincial schools in the municipality in time for International Francophonie Day on March 20. 

A statement on the municipality’s website says International Francophonie Day and Francophonie Month are a time to celebrate French language and Francophone culture.

Council’s initiative extends the reach of Nova Scotia’s bilingual stop sign program, the statement said. That program provides funding to replace existing stop signs with bilingual ones.

Work on the HRM project started on March 6.

Signs are already in place at Bois Joli, Carrefour, Mer et Monde, Secondary Mosaic and Centre le Tournesol.

According to a report from Radio-Canada, the thrust for bilingual stop signs in the province began with four teenagers from Clare in 2019 calling for their installation.

A total of 845 signs were set up in the municipalities of Argyle, Clare, Guysborough, Inverness and Richmond, according to the report.

Nathalie Robichaud, director general of the Société acadienne de Clare, told Radio-Canada the initiative is important because it is a “reaffirmation of who you are and the language you speak.”