Official Languages committee  We have a couple of different initiatives, as I mentioned. One is helping to showcase to municipalities the importance of having a website in both French and English, and having signage on the outside of the municipal buildings that says “welcome” in both English and French. Last year, we did a project where we worked with six different municipalities to help translate some of their signage within the municipalities to French and English, including museums and different types of municipal buildings.

Official Languages committee  That's right, Laila. We did have a campaign where we had stickers. We also have something on our website. Businesses can go ahead and download a badge that they can put on their website to promote that they actually have bilingualism in the business, so a tourist or somebody new to the municipality can get some type of service in French and English.

Official Languages committee  We currently have an application with Heritage Canada to do a larger awareness campaign. What we're finding, as municipalities, is that a lot of tourists and newcomers who come to Alberta don't actually realize how much bilingualism there actually is here in Alberta: francophone people, schools and culture.

Official Languages committee  We have different initiatives. Some are broader and do encompass all of our members. We have 19 municipalities in Alberta that see themselves as being bilingual. In that case, for everybody, it is to help translate their website to be English and French. However, we do have some projects that could be more specific to a certain region, or a couple of municipalities that are more closely neighbouring than others.

Official Languages committee  Thank you. The Alberta Bilingual Municipalities Association, the ABMA, is a not-for-profit association that represents member municipalities in Alberta. Its message is simple and clear: Bilingualism is a driver for economic growth. The ABMA plays a crucial role in Alberta's economic development because it knows that placing bilingualism at the core of municipal economic strategies can help communities create jobs, improve tourism and optimize investment opportunities.