How Maillardville was founded?

Maillardville's history is closely related to the development of the forest industry. In 1909 the Fraser River Lumber Company (which became the Canadian Western Lumber Company the following year) decided to recruit French-Canadian workers, who were well known for their expertise in forestry. To encourage French Canadian families to settle in British Columbia, the Fraser River Lumber Company promised to provide wood to build houses, a school, and a church. The company also paid for the train trip to British Columbia. The first contingent of French Canadians arrived in Fraser Mills on September 27th 1909. The community was about to become the largest francophone community on the West Coast. 

 

 Where does the name "Maillardville" come from?

Although they worked on average 10 hours a day six days a week, the newly arrived francophones managed to build houses, a French-language school, and a Catholic church north of Fraser Mills. The church, dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, was built just in time for the 1910 Christmas mass to be celebrated. The village was given the name of Maillardville, in honour of Father Edmond Maillard OMI, the first priest of the Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes parish. The French-Canadian quarter of Maillardville became soon a central part of the young municipality of Coquitlam.  

 

 How Maillardville became a strong community?

The Fraser Mills strike of 1931 

During the Depression, work conditions worsened considerably at Fraser Mills. Workers were fired when they refused to work overtime, and beginning in 1930, salaries began to drop sharply. The workers went on strike on September 16th 1931. The strike revealed the social cohesion and solidarity of the Maillardville francophone community. Most residents worked for the same company and belonged to the same social class. Inter-family connections among the francophones in the community were also very important. The people of Maillardville were thus joined in solidarity, and the whole community supported the strikers during the conflict.

A wave of migration from the Prairies

New settlers increased the ranks of British Columbia's French-language community. With the Depression of the 1930s, French Canadians from the Prairies came to Maillardville in search of better living conditions further west. The economic boom associated with World War II caused this wave of settlers to continue into the 1940s.

The school strike of 1951

Despite the economic recovery in the after-war years, some Maillardville francophone parents found it increasingly difficult to pay the supplementary fees for the separate school system. Not only did they have to pay school taxes for English-language public schools, but also cover the full costs of their own Catholic French-language schools. In addition, unlike the case for English-language public schools, francophone parents did not have access to free transportation for students, and had to pay for school books and medical services. To protest against this situation, the Maillardville Catholic schools went on strike on April 2nd 1951. The strike caused a great stir throughout Canada, and francophones in other provinces provided moral and financial support to the strikers. The strike lasted a year, yet had limited results. 

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 How does Maillardville keep this French heritage alive today?

As a result of a demographic decline in the French community, French is spoken much less in Maillardville than in the past. Today, although francophones represent only 2.3% of this urban area, Maillardville does still exist; there is no doubt that the cultural and historical heritage of the first French-Canadians is still present. Street names, cultural activities, and community associations show how active and dynamic the Maillardville francophone community is. Among these are the school Ecole des Pionniers de Maillardville, The centre for seniors Foyer Maillard, the museum Mackin House, and the Société Francophone de Maillardville organizing  the Festival du Bois, an annual event celebrating the history and heritage of Maillardville's residents. In 2017, more than 20,000 visitors attended this event, the only one of its kind in British Columbia, offering francophone music performances and traditional French Canadian food. The Festival du Bois continues to be an occasion gathering together francophones from Maillardville and other areas, as well as francophiles.

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Discover the francophone history of the Maillardville's region with Geocaching, an outdoor treasure hunting game