At the January 23 meeting, Champlain Township council approved its bilingual services policy, reinforcing the commitment to communicate to residents in both official languages. All public services provided by the township must be communicated in English and French to ensure that citizens can receive information in the language of their choice.
 
Council had adopted a bilingual services resolution on September 26, 2024, and instructed “the administration to translate all reports to council prepared by the township’s administration,” although “liaison committee minutes and member’s reports, and all correspondence received, will not be translated.”
 
The resolution included a requirement that all by-laws and policies be translated once approved, with the official version being in English. The French version is available for information purposes only.
 
“The English and French languages are the official languages of the Township of Champlain for all purposes of council and the municipal administration and enjoy equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use,” the policy outlined.
 
The township had also purchased web-based application software to assist with translating longer documents at an annual cost of $2,158.92.
 
Council also acknowledged that it is the responsibility of each department head to ensure that the bilingual policy is followed.
 
Other stipulations of the bilingual services policy include having “all new signage to be installed throughout the Township of Champlain shall be displayed in both official languages,” any information, news, and notices to be published in both English and French, as well as all municipal forms being available in either language.