CMA 2024 Bid Committee

1185 Highway 1   ·   Little Brook, Nova Scotia   ·   B0W 1Z0

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Press release / For immediate release

THE ACADIAN REGION OF SOUTHWEST NOVA SCOTIA SUBMITS ITS BID TO HOST THE CONGRÈS MONDIAL ACADIEN IN 2024

Little Brook, NS – January 15, 2019: After months of planning, consulting and rallying in the region, the CMA 2024 bid committee is proud to announce that the bid document for co-hosting the 7th Congrès mondial acadien (CMA) in the municipalities of Clare and Argyle is complete. The final document was sent to the Société Nationale de l’Acadie (SNA) by the January 15 deadline.

Once in its hands, the SNA will spend the next few months evaluating Clare and Argyle’s bid. The location of the host region for the 2024 CMA will be formally announced by the SNA in the spring of 2019. If Clare and Argyle’s bid is accepted, it will mark the first time that a local Nova Scotia community has hosted the CMA.

“The process of putting this bid together has allowed our members to reflect on the richness of this region,” said Allister Surette, spokesperson for the CMA 2024 bid committee. “Our community has produced many achievements. We hope to add the Congrès mondial acadien to this list of accomplishments.”

The proposed theme “Venez vivre votre Acadie” (Come live your Acadie), is nod to the centuries-long Acadian roots of the community and the recognition that the worldwide Acadian identity is united in its diversity. The bid committee proposes that the event be held over nine days from August 10 to 18, 2024. It recommends a budget of $8.5 million to be financed by various levels of government, the private sector, community contributions and self-generated revenues.

Since announcing its plan to bid on hosting the prestigious event, the municipalities of Clare and Argyle sought the services of Martin Theberge Consultant to help prepare the bid document. With the assistance of Mr. Théberge, the bid committee held two public consultations to inform and engage with members of the community regarding the possibility of hosting the CMA in the region.

The social media campaign “J’appuie #CLARGYLE CMA 2024” was launched in November 2018 to help promote the hosting bid. The hashtag #CLARGYLE was introduced to emphasize the strong ties shared by the two municipalities. The Facebook and Instagram pages have served as useful tools for mobilizing the Acadian community within the region and beyond.

A letter-writing campaign amassed more than 400 letters of support from individuals, businesses, organizations and government institutions at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. Students from the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP) also took part in the letter-writing campaign with great enthusiasm.

“We have spent months consulting with residents, organizations and the business community,” said Mr. Théberge. “The bid committee has received confirmation that the people of the Acadian region of Southwest Nova Scotia support our bid to bring home the CMA in 2024.”

About the CMA
The CMA is an international gathering of Acadian culture that is held every five years. Its mission is to fortify the ties among Acadian communities around the world. The event also allows host municipalities to showcase their part of the world on an international scale through activities such as family reunions, conferences and celebrations. The event, which could attract up to 100,000 participants, could have positive economic repercussions for the region and neighbouring communities.

About the CMA 2024 bid committee
Members of the CMA 2024 bid committee:
Clint Bruce, Canada Research Chair in Acadian and Cross-National Studies, Université Sainte-Anne; Réanne Cooper, student, Université Sainte-Anne; Stéphane Cyr, Chief Administrative Officer, Municipality of Clare; François d'Entremont, Project Coordinator, Conseil acadien de Par-en-Bas; Chris Frotten, Chief Administrative Officer, Municipality of Barrington; Sally Kenney, Executive Director, Conseil acadien de Par-en-Bas; Charlene LeBlanc, Community Development Officer, Municipality of Argyle; Daniel LeBlanc, Executive and Artistic Director, Festival acadien de Clare; Gwen LeBlanc, Economic Development, Employability and Innovation Officer, CDÉNÉ, Argyle Region; Alain D. Muise, Chief Adminisrative Officer, Municipality of Argyle; Larry Peach, Tourism Manager, Municipality of Clare; Natalie Robichaud, Executive Director, la Société acadienne de Clare; Allister Surette, President and Vice-Chancellor, Université Sainte-Anne; Chantal Surette, student, Université Sainte-Anne.

Settled in 1768 and incorporated in 1879, the Municipality of Clare is located at the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia with approximately 8,000 residents. The Municipality of Clare is the only municipality in the province that conducts business and offers services in both official languages, French and English.

Incorporated in 1880, the Municipality of Argyle is located at the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia with approximately 7,900 residents. The Municipality of Argyle is home to the province’s first wind farm and the village of Pubnico, the oldest Acadian region still inhabited by the descendants of its founder.

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For more information :

Amy Paradis
Communications Officer
Municipality of Clare
Tel.: (902) 769-2031, ext. 223
Cell: (902) 778-2079

Allister Surette
President and Vice-Chancellor
Université Sainte-Anne
Tel.: (902) 769-2114, ext. 7300

 

For high-resolution photos, please click this link:
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Allister Surette, spokesperson for the CMA 2024 bid committee, during the public consultation in Clare on December 12, 2018.
Photo credit: Marc d’Entremont

The bid document to host the CMA in the Acadian region of Southwest Nova Scotia in 2024 was sent out on the morning of January 15, 2019.

We support #CLARGYLE!

The residents of Clare and Argyle participate in the public consultation evenings on December 11 and 12, 2018.

Students from the CSAP showed their support with great enthusiasm.