When Annie Arseneau first laid eyes on Jasper, it was from the platform of the heritage train station.
It was 1999. She had a ticket from her home province of New Brunswick to Vancouver. She didn’t make it to the west coast.
“When I got off the train, I was blown away by the scene, the community, the lifestyle. That’s the perfect life for me,” she remembers thinking. She stayed in Jasper for the remainder of her vacation, and promised to return one day.
In 2005, she made good on that promise. Arseneau moved to Jasper and got work with Parks Canada. But seven years later, she and her partner Eric, who she met here, left town to return to Acadia. There, they started a family. She worked various jobs, including a demanding position at a long term care facility in the midst of the pandemic and a labour dispute. It was all very exhausting.
“We were in a rat race,” she said.
Jasper beckoned once again.
Two months later, they heeded that call. She and her two daughters flew out in August. Not long after, hauling a trailer full of furniture and with the family dog riding shotgun, Eric made it, too.
“The phrase I keep hearing is ‘welcome back,’” Annie said. “As a family, we’re extremely happy.”
Arseneau is the new director of Jasper’s Association Canadienne Française de l’Alberta (ACFA). Arseneau’s love of Jasper hasn’t changed in the past 10 years, but the accessibility to Francophonie in Jasper has, according to Arseneau. The 2014 relocation of École Desrochers—a far cry from being stuffed inside the Legion and adjacent portable classrooms; the outdoor stage in Commemoration Park; and the new ACFA office are all places that give visibility to Francophonie in Jasper. Compared to when she left in 2007, it seems to Arseneau that Francophone culture is now front and centre in Jasper.
“When I was here, the ACFA office was in the basement of the train station,” Arsenau said. “People didn’t even know which door to use to get there.”
Today, Arseneau does her work from the same heritage building as the Jasper Municipal Library, Jasper Artists’ Guild and the Jasper Habitat for the Arts. The ACFA has been able to create flagship activities and events for the community: the Winter Pentathlon, the Cabane à Sucre and community French lessons, to name a few. Currently, Arseneau is booking tickets for the ACFA-sponsored trip to the Oilers-Canadiens NHL game in Edmonton on December 3. And next August, Arseneau would also like to introduce a local event to celebrate National Acadian Day.
“I make it a point to celebrate every year with Acadian Day on August 15,” she said.
Arseneau’s interest in promoting Francophonie began at university in 2003 when she helped promote the French language ahead of the Canada Games, when they were hosted in New Brunswick and Quebec. She remembers the smile she wore getting a photo with the country’s dignitaries, including New Brunswick’s premier of the day, Bernard Lord.
“Being in his entourage and in that environment was incredible!”
These days, in Jasper, what’s been incredible to Arseneau is seeing her kids make fast friends and being able to walk home from school every day. Her work is challenging, but not overwhelming. Being the director of the ACFA of Jasper has given Arseneau the opportunity to realise two of her dreams, promoting Francophonie and living in Jasper.
“Jasper never leaves your heart,” she said.
Shanti Langevin, student reporter // info@thejasperlocal.com
