BONNYVILLE - A French-Canadian tradition came to life in Bonnyville at Pontiac Park on Saturday as the ACFA (French Canadian Association of Alberta) Bonnyville-Cold Lake hosted its annual Cabane à Sucre event alongside the Town of Bonnyville's Winter Fun Day.
Attendees from both Bonnyville and Cold Lake gathered for an evening filled with music, culture, and sweet maple treats.
The events were packed with activities for all ages, including horse-drawn wagon rides, sledding, ice rink skating, live music, traditional toffee on the snow, and fireworks. Free hot dogs and other treats, including maple baked beans and hot chocolate, were also available.
The festivities began at 4 p.m. with a flag-raising ceremony, where Christine St. Laurent, regional manager for ACFA Bonnyville-Cold Lake, highlighted the importance of Francophone heritage in Alberta. “It's a great honour for me to speak today as we celebrate Alberta's Francophone Month together. This month is a precious opportunity to recognize and highlight the richness of the French language and Francophone culture here in Alberta,” she said.
“Alberta's francophonie is a vibrant mosaic of cultures and histories united by a common language that resonates in our schools, our workplace, families, and communities,” St. Laurent added.
Laila Goodridge, MP for Fort McMurray-Cold Lake, also spoke at the event, expressing her appreciation for Alberta's Francophone community. “It is really a pleasure to be here in Bonnyville to celebrate Le Mois de la Francophonie. We are so lucky here in Alberta to have the ability to speak in French and to live a rich and vibrant Francophonie,” she said.
Town of Bonnyville Mayor Elisa Brosseau, acknowledged the collaboration between the Town and ACFA in organizing the events.
“Not only is it important for the town, for us it has been a priority to do more for our families, to do more as a community and to get people out,” she said, adding, “Bonnyville has been built on families of generations, and I'll be honest, with us today, I have four generations of my family who all speak French. So it's something that I'm very proud of.”
M.D. of Bonnyville, Coun. Dana Swigart extended greetings on behalf of the municipality, reminiscing about his first experience with Cabane à Sucre.
"I remember, I think one of my first Cabane à Sucre events was south of Bonnyville, and we had a real great time then, about 10 years ago,” he shared.
St. Laurent spoke about how it is important to bring the francophone community together. “It’s important for the francophones to celebrate together and to get together. Some of them only see each other once a year at this event. It is also important for visibility and to share our language and our culture with everybody,” she said.
