On Monday, May 12, North Glengarry council unanimously approved a new arts-focused partnership with the Create to Get Closer (CGC) program, aimed at celebrating official language minority communities in Canada.
The 16-by-eight-foot mural will be installed on the south-facing wall of the Glengarry Sports Palace (GSP), a high-traffic area popular with visitors.
Only 15 municipalities across five provinces are selected to participate in the CGC program, with North Glengarry being one of just three or four municipalities in Ontario for 2025-2026.
The average cost per mural installation is approximately $15,000, with individual municipalities being responsible for 11 per cent—roughly $1,740 to $2,260 depending on project specifics. North Glengarry will use funds from the township’s Economic Development operating budget.
The remaining amount is funded by the organization La Francoderole from the Official Languages Directorate of the federal government.
La Francoderole has engaged with more than 253,800 youth through approximately 2,700 collective bilingual projects to raise awareness of linguistic collaboration.
Municipal staff noted that the CGC program will engage youth ambassadors aged 10 to 14 from local anglophone and francophone schools to collaboratively create the mural.
Councillor Brian Caddell inquired if both school boards with schools in North Glengarry are on board with the project. Staff responded that once the project was approved by council, La Francoderole would handle coordination efforts with local schools that wish to participate in the initiative.
Deputy Mayor Carma Williams and councillors Jeff Manley and Michael Madden voiced their support, saying it was encouraging to see a project bringing both school boards together while adding colour to the GSP.
The mural is expected to be completed and installed in time for the beginning of the CGC program tour in September 2025.
