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Housing applications not bilingual
Applicant says he'd understand better if he could have a document in French

Lyndsay Herman
Northern News Services
Published Saturday, December 7, 2013

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Francophone George Lessard is bilingual and finds having text in both English and French rounds out his understanding of what he's reading, particularly when it comes to official documents.

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Francophone Yellowknife resident George Lessard say he is concerned that the territorial government is not meeting its obligations provide services in French after being unable to obtain an application form for the Yellowknife Housing Authority. - Lyndsay Herman/NNSL photo

However, he has been unable to obtain a French version of the Yellowknife Housing Authority application form.

"When you walk into the office itself, there isn't a single sign anywhere that says, 'Services available in French', yet housing is a human right," said Lessard. "You have the right to housing ... You can try and get it if you want to but if you speak unilingual French and only understand French you're not going to be able to get that kind of information out of them."

The Yellowknife Housing Authority application form is a hefty 10 pages and the information it collects informs the housing authority's decision about what kind of housing support a person or family qualifies for.

Lessard said the first time he requested a French version of the form he was told it would be available in 24 hours. When Lessard inquired about the French form the next day, a different employee told him a French version was not available, he said. Lessard left his card with the request that he be contacted when a French version was available but a month later he still had not gotten the call.

"None of the other 10 languages in the territory were there either," he said. "They certainly weren't sitting there available to you. There was not even a pamphlet about housing that was available in French."

The NWT Housing Corporation, which answered on behalf of the Yellowknife Housing Authority, says verbal French translation is available to the public with notice but written translations are not guaranteed.

"If someone needs to verbally communicate in French with the NWT Housing Corporation, referral and language interpretation is available in a timely manner, upon request," states Cara Bryant, communications adviser with housing corp. in an e-mail to Yellowknifer.

"However, at this time we cannot guarantee a time-frame for the written translation of a document into French, although we would do our best to accommodate any such request."

Lessard said he was also denied a French version of an application form he had to fill out when applying to become a director on the Yellowknife Housing Authority board.

When asked if Lessard's experience is similar to that of other French residents in the city, officials with the NWT French Federation said it was an issue they are aware of.

"I'm not aware of this specific case but yes, I've heard stories about that kind of (situation) quite a few times," said Leo-Paul Provencher, the federation's executive director.

"The federation is actually working in close co-operation with GNWT personnel that are responsible for the implementation of the governmental strategy plan on communications and services in French ... We are concerned by (this) question and I'm not surprised to hear it."

Provencher said he is aware the GNWT is working with the Francophone Secretariat to amend issues like this, and Bryant confirmed the housing corp. is working with the secretariat to provide documentation, among other programs and services, in French.

For Lessard, the absence of French in housing paperwork is evidence of a larger issue in the way the GNWT looks at social services.

"It's symptomatic of the attitude that people have here in the social services," Lessard said.

"It's based on that paternalistic, charity aspect with this kind of stuff where, 'We're doing you a favour by doing this' as opposed to recognizing it's your right to be served. It's your right to have it in your language."

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