RDÉE PEI to move Charlottetown satellite office to Carrefour

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI – Feb. 24, 2013 – During a “5 to 8” social evening organized on the occasion of the Festival de la rentrée at the Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint-Jean in Charlottetown last Friday, RDÉE Prince Edward Island announced that it will be moving its Charlottetown satellite office to the Carrefour as of Aug. 1. Judging by their applause and other positive reactions, the approximately 50 people present warmly welcomed the news.

Martin Marcoux, president of the RDÉE (the provincial francophone economic development council), said his organization will be the first new tenant to set up shop in the Carrefour following its extensive $4.1 million renovation and expansion.

Several years ago, the RDÉE had rented a couple of small offices in the Carrefour for a few months. The space had become too cramped as the RDÉE team kept growing so it had to move out. For the past couple of years, the RDÉE’s satellite office had been located in downtown Charlottetown – in the MRSB building on Queen Street (across from the Confederation Centre of the Arts).

But thanks to its expansion, the Carrefour can now provide ample space for the RDÉE’s needs – and at a better price. Marcoux says this is a win-win situation since the RDÉE will now be closer to the core of Charlottetown’s francophone community.

The president congratulated the Carrefour for having taken on this vast expansion project since “the centre brings together an extraordinary francophone community and is an extraordinary school-community centre.”

Carrefour president Émile Gallant extended a warm welcome to the RDÉE.

The new RDÉE offices, which aren’t yet completed, will be located in the front of the right extremity of the building, right next to the Port La-Joye Theatre. The Carrefour’s administrative and reception offices will also be moving to the same section of the building and will open onto the new main community entrance of the building.

It should be noted that the RDÉE’s head offices remain in Wellington.

The “5 to 8” social was organized jointly by the Carrefour and the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI (whose parent organization is the RDÉE). During a break in the entertainment, Gallant gave a guided tour of the new facilities at both ends of the building. First of all, participants visited the new community portion of the building (including the daycare and preschool centre, events rooms and office space). They then proceeded to the other end of the building where the 320-student François-Buote School is located. The most impressive portion of the renovations is obviously the industrial arts section, which houses a carpentry class and a mechanics class.

Those attending the social evening enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and thoroughly entertaining music by Meaghan Blanchard and Joey Kitson, who was accompanied by his 11-year-old son Julien – another musical genius that will certainly continue the family tradition.

Jeannette Arsenault, spokesperson for the Acadian Chamber, said the Chamber was quite pleased to collaborate in the organization and promotion of this successful event. She mentioned that the Chamber regularly organizes networking, sharing and learning events. For the “5 to 8”, it was mostly networking that was on the forefront. She invited everyone to become members of the chamber.

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CUTLINE 1: Martin Marcoux, left, president of RDÉE Prince Edward Island, Jeannette Arsenault, spokesperson for the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI, and Émile Gallant, president of the Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint-Jean, proudly declare an important collaboration between the organizations. The RDÉE (and its subcommittee, the Chamber) will be moving its satellite office into the Carrefour this summer.

CUTLINE 2: Martin Marcoux, president of RDÉE Prince Edward Island, examines one of the mechanical saws that are installed in the industrial arts classes of the school portion at Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint-Jean in Charlottetown.

CUTLINE 3: Meaghan Blanchard truly impressed attendees of the Carrefour’s “5 to 8” social with her marvelous voice and her fantastic French and English songs.

CUTLINE 4: Well-known singer Joey Kitson, as always, beautifully entertained the crowd at the Carrefour’s “5 to 8” social. However, it will his 11-year-son Julien qui particularly captured everyone’s attention with his singing, harmonica-playing and guitar-playing as he both accompanied his father and did his own leads.

For more information:

Raymond J. Arsenault
Communications officer
RDÉE Prince Edward Island Inc.
(902) 854-3665
raymond@rdeeipe.org