The Festival du Bois has now finished but this wood sculpture by Michel Campeau will remain as a tribute to the festival and to francophone culture in Mackin Park, Maillardville, Coquitlam, BC. It’s an eight-foot wooden sculpture of a lumberjack, carved from salvaged cedar wood. Eventually it will be painted and accompanied by a second sculpture of a young woman with a violin. Campeau is a Longueuil, Que. wood carver whose interest in carving began at the age of eight. He has practiced his art for 42 years and taught sculpting for almost 30 years. He has worked on projects in the House of Commons and helped to restore the chapel of the Sacred Heart of Notre-Dame in Montreal.
Festival du Bois celebrated its 26th anniversary in 2015. It’s the largest event celebrating francophone culture in British Columbia, staged in Mackin Park. It is organized by the Société francophone de Maillardville, whose mission is “to promote, represent and defend the rights and interests of the francophones of Maillardville and the surrounding area, and to maintain French Canadian language and culture.” The event, with entertainment for all ages, features dance, music, visual arts, crafts and lots of traditional food to sample like tourtière, pea soup, maple taffy on snow, and, of course, poutine.
In the early 1900’s Fraser Mills, a lumber mill on the north bank of the Fraser River, began to become successful and a small mill town came into being. The mill needed to recruit more workers and French Canadians had a reputation as being industrious and skilled forestry workers. They would replace Chinese, Japanese and South Asian workers who were suffering rising racism. The French Canadians would fulfill the company’s desire for an all-white work force and be encouraged to settle with their families unlike the former workers who were seen as temporary. The village of Maillardville, named after a Catholic priest, was soon established. It became the largest francophone village west of Manitoba. Twice Maillardville attempted to become an independent municipality but was unsuccessful. It maintained a large francophone presence from the early 1900s until a gradual decrease in the ‘60s and ’70s. This was the result of several factors including assimilation, lack of affordable housing and the gradual reduction in employment at the Fraser Mills, which finally shut its doors in 2001.
Today, the francophone population of Maillardville is less than three per cent of the general population. However, its francophone heritage is being revitalized by events such as the Festival du Bois, which attracts on average 15,000 visitors a year and features exceptional artists from across the country. The dynamic, Maillardville-based francophone choir, Les Echos du Pacifique has been promoting French-Canadian culture through choral singing since 1973. Heritage Square, across from Mackin Park is part of the site of the old village of Maillardville and includes two heritage houses. Mackin House Museum was home to various members of the Fraser Mills Company management. It contains artefacts and photos from the early days of Maillardville. Place des Arts is another house originally built for Fraser Mill managers. It offers programs in visual arts, music, drama, dance and creative writing to more than 1500 students with a wide number of scholarships and bursaries. Heritage Square also has an outdoor theatre and museum as well as an old Canadian Pacific Railroad Station museum where many francophones arrived to live and work in Maillardville. Meanwhile, the city of Coquitlam is revitalizing the old Maillardville business district in partnership with all three levels of government. The focus will be on French Canadian heritage through the development of francophone businesses.
