English Subsidized English private school in Montreal

[AngloQuebec]

Additional information here ref eligibility if applicable if you have not seen it

https://www.emsb.qc.ca/emsb/admissions

If the original poster becomes a citizen soon, he will be able to take advantage of the private school loophole.
Bill 115 allows non-anglophone children who attend private elementary school in English to get a certificate of eligibility.
If the original poster cannot afford it, there is no requirement to keep on sending his daughter to private school after getting the certificate.
Public English schools are full of first generation Anglophones who have taken advantage of this rule.
Growing up in Montreal in the early 2000s, there were more children of immigrants than "old stock" Anglophones in the public English schools.
Most old money Anglos and Jews sent their kids to expensive private schools like LCC, Selwyn, ECS, etc. which had very few minorities.

 

[canuck78]

All private schools in Quebec (English or French) qualify for government subsidies of about $5000 a year starting in grade 7.
Many private English schools will take these subsidies, which means all their high school students must have a certificate of eligibility to attend (same requirement as public schools).
Many of the most expensive English schools that charge more than 20k a year choose to take these subsidies because they do not have much to lose.
This is because most of their students are from rich Anglophone families and automatically get this certificate.
For non-Anglophones, their kids can get a certificate by attending private elementary school for several years.
The only students subsidized English private high schools lose out on are non-Anglophones who went to French elementary school.

The child is entering grade 3.

 

[AngloQuebec]

The child is entering grade 3.

Which is exactly why he can take advantage of Bill 115 as long as he becomes a citizen by the time he wants to send his daughter to either a public English high school or a subsidized private English high school. Most of the English private schools are subsidized but only in the high school section. That means the elementary school section is open to all students regardless of whether they have a certificate or not. After several years in private elementary school in English, they will earn a certificate of eligibility allowing them to go to any government-funded English school. With that certificate, his daughter can continue to go to the same private English school, even in high school, or switch to public English school. His biggest barrier right now though is his (lack of) citizenship. Without it, he won’t even be able to keep sending his daughter to many private schools starting in grade 7 once the school starts receiving subsidies. I went to public high school in English and I can assure you there were many immigrants and children of immigrants who were among my classmates. As a white boy, I was actually a minority in my school. There are many loopholes around Bill 101 and the public English school system actually depends on these immigrants to thrive so I want new Canadians to be aware of their ability to attend English schools if that is their preference.

 

[canuck78]

Which is exactly why he can take advantage of Bill 115 as long as he becomes a citizen by the time he wants to send his daughter to either a public English high school or a subsidized private English high school. Most of the English private schools are subsidized but only in the high school section. That means the elementary school section is open to all students regardless of whether they have a certificate or not. After several years in private elementary school in English, they will earn a certificate of eligibility allowing them to go to any government-funded English school. With that certificate, his daughter can continue to go to the same private English school, even in high school, or switch to public English school. His biggest barrier right now though is his (lack of) citizenship. Without it, he won’t even be able to keep sending his daughter to many private schools starting in grade 7 once the school starts receiving subsidies. I went to public high school in English and I can assure you there were many immigrants and children of immigrants who were among my classmates. As a white boy, I was actually a minority in my school. There are many loopholes around Bill 101 and the public English school system actually depends on these immigrants to thrive so I want new Canadians to be aware of their ability to attend English schools if that is their preference.

There is no disadvantage for a child in grade 3 to adjust to French school. Many people do not have the budget to afford private school. Loopholes can be closed especially with the new provincial government so families need to be prepared to pay for private school for the entirety of a child’s education.

 

[AngloQuebec]

There is no disadvantage for a child in grade 3 to adjust to French school. Many people do not have the budget to afford private school. Loopholes can be closed especially with the new provincial government so families need to be prepared to pay for private school for the entirety of a child’s education.

I have to respectfully disagree with you here. The Parti Quebecois closed a previous loophole in the early 2000s that allowed any children of non-anglophones to attend government-funded schools after just one year of non-subsidized private school. The Supreme Court of Canada then struck down Bill 104 (the law used to close the loophole) and Bill 115 was a compromise response to that ruling. As long as Quebec remains a part of Canada, the right of non-Anglophones to attend public English schools in Quebec is guaranteed through that law. And once a children earns a certificate of eligibility, they can then pass it on to their own children. So there are many Indians, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc in English public schools whose grandparents came to Quebec AFTER Bill 101 was implemented in the late 70s. Their parents were able to attend English schools using the previous loophole and now the kids can also attend English schools because of their parents' certificate. Go to any public English school in Montreal and you will see every colour in the rainbow. The private English schools are much less diverse because of the high tuition (and many of them still require a certificate starting in grade 7). For the original poster, if he can sacrifice a couple years of elementary private school tuition, his daughter will have access to all government-funded schools in English (both public and private). At the end of the day, it is a personal choice but many hard-working Indian immigrants will gladly make that sacrifice. They just need to understand the actual rules rather than rely on hearsay and half-truths. Anyone who attends English private school for several years could have switched to public school afterwards. Some rich non-Anglophone parents who can afford it will keep their kids in private school for the quality of education even after getting a certificate, but it's entirely their choice and has nothing to do with Bill 101. Many rich Anglos will also send their kids to private school even though they have access to public schools from day one. Again, it is a choice.

As an proud Anglo Quebecker whose family has been in this province for over 200 years, I welcome all recent immigrants and their descendants to join our English schools. I was born and raised in Montreal and speak very little French, and I am still thriving in my hometown. Many English schools now have French immersion programs that allow their students to learn French as a secondary language while still keeping English as their main language of instruction. Many Anglos own private businesses here and actively seek out graduates of English schools to work for them. In addition to elementary and high schools, we also have English CEGEPs and universities (McGill is arguably one of the best universities in Canada). If you do not know French, you will not be able to do service jobs but all the white collar professions will be open to you. If you live in the West Island where many corporations are opening offices, you will likely never even hear French being spoken.

 

[canuck78]

I have to respectfully disagree with you here. The Parti Quebecois closed a previous loophole in the early 2000s that allowed any children of non-anglophones to attend government-funded schools after just one year of non-subsidized private school. The Supreme Court of Canada then struck down Bill 104 (the law used to close the loophole) and Bill 115 was a compromise response to that ruling. As long as Quebec remains a part of Canada, the right of non-Anglophones to attend public English schools in Quebec is guaranteed through that law. And once a children earns a certificate of eligibility, they can then pass it on to their own children. So there are many Indians, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc in English public schools whose grandparents came to Quebec AFTER Bill 101 was implemented in the late 70s. Their parents were able to attend English schools using the previous loophole and now the kids can also attend English schools because of their parents' certificate. Go to any public English school in Montreal and you will see every colour in the rainbow. The private English schools are much less diverse because of the high tuition (and many of them still require a certificate starting in grade 7). For the original poster, if he can sacrifice a couple years of elementary private school tuition, his daughter will have access to all government-funded schools in English (both public and private). At the end of the day, it is a personal choice but many hard-working Indian immigrants will gladly make that sacrifice. They just need to understand the actual rules rather than rely on hearsay and half-truths. Anyone who attends English private school for several years could have switched to public school afterwards. Some rich non-Anglophone parents who can afford it will keep their kids in private school for the quality of education even after getting a certificate, but it's entirely their choice and has nothing to do with Bill 101. Many rich Anglos will also send their kids to private school even though they have access to public schools from day one. Again, it is a choice.

As an proud Anglo Quebecker whose family has been in this province for over 200 years, I welcome all recent immigrants and their descendants to join our English schools. I was born and raised in Montreal and speak very little French, and I am still thriving in my hometown. Many English schools now have French immersion programs that allow their students to learn French as a secondary language while still keeping English as their main language of instruction. Many Anglos own private businesses here and actively seek out graduates of English schools to work for them. In addition to elementary and high schools, we also have English CEGEPs and universities (McGill is arguably one of the best universities in Canada). If you do not know French, you will not be able to do service jobs but all the white collar professions will be open to you. If you live in the West Island where many corporations are opening offices, you will likely never even hear French being spoken.

I am saying that there may be a push to close the loophole for new immigrants who attend 3 years of private English school to be able to attend English high school and cegep. The government clearly knows that many are paying for private English elementary school knowing they will not have to pay later on. The previous generations of Anglo Quebecers wherever they came from will be protected under the laws. I grew up in English part of Montreal and mostly learned French when I moved to Ontario. I would actually encourage new immigrants to go to French if they speak English at home or partially at home. It will open up a lot more opportunities. The West Island is their own little bubble. Yes there are some private businesses where you can get away with only English but being bilingual is not just necessary for service jobs. All government jobs require you to pass a bilingual language test. Most other professions except IT usually involve needing to know French. There is also more to Quebec than Westmount, the West Island, NDG, Côte-St-Luc, etc. The CAQ has been been prioritizing French speaking immigrants so it isn’t hard to imagine that making sure the children of new immigrants attend French school may be on the list of priorities especially if they are young. Many of the immigrants arriving in Quebec have no intention of learning French but the pathways to immigration were easier through Quebec. Quebec May have incorrectly assumed that people would start learning French once they arrived but what has happened is that either people relocate to Vancouver or Toronto or seek out the English communities. In general Quebec has not sought to grow it’s English population as a priority. Their goal is mainly to grow their French speaking population especially now that the Quebec economy is finally growing after being pretty stagnant for a long time. My whole family attended McGill so I am very familiar with it. I also had Francophone friends attend McGill as well as English friends throughout the country. Not all the francophone should to U of M, Laval, Sherbrooke and U of O. If anything the most English university in Quebec is Bishops not McGill. Although still well known in the US, McGill has fallen in the Canadian rankings over the past 30 years due to lower tuition fees from Quebec residents and lack of investment because there was fear of separation for a few decades. That could be said for the whole province for a long period of time. Luckily things have changed and Quebec’s economy is doing much better. McGill is still a good school but would say top 5. In general if a child is young most are able to learn multiple languages and go on and pursue English university if they want. If your child really struggles with languages after a few years then switch to a English education. Being bilingual or trilingual will only benefit your child. Many immigrant parents are fearful that their child will be less successful in English post secondary education if they attend French school and that hasn’t been the case. Actually know many francophone students that have attended McGill medical school in English. Most children can easily absorb languages and learning more languages.

 

[AngloQuebec]

I am saying that there may be a push to close the loophole for new immigrants who attend 3 years of private English school to be able to attend English high school and cegep. The government clearly knows that many are paying for private English elementary school knowing they will not have to pay later on. The previous generations of Anglo Quebecers wherever they came from will be protected under the laws. I grew up in English part of Montreal and mostly learned French when I moved to Ontario. I would actually encourage new immigrants to go to French if they speak English at home or partially at home. It will open up a lot more opportunities. The West Island is their own little bubble. Yes there are some private businesses where you can get away with only English but being bilingual is not just necessary for service jobs. All government jobs require you to pass a bilingual language test. Most other professions except IT usually involve needing to know French. There is also more to Quebec than Westmount, the West Island, NDG, Côte-St-Luc, etc. The CAQ has been been prioritizing French speaking immigrants so it isn’t hard to imagine that making sure the children of new immigrants attend French school may be on the list of priorities especially if they are young. Many of the immigrants arriving in Quebec have no intention of learning French but the pathways to immigration were easier through Quebec. Quebec May have incorrectly assumed that people would start learning French once they arrived but what has happened is that either people relocate to Vancouver or Toronto or seek out the English communities. In general Quebec has not sought to grow it’s English population as a priority. Their goal is mainly to grow their French speaking population especially now that the Quebec economy is finally growing after being pretty stagnant for a long time. My whole family attended McGill so I am very familiar with it. I also had Francophone friends attend McGill as well as English friends throughout the country. Not all the francophone should to U of M, Laval, Sherbrooke and U of O. If anything the most English university in Quebec is Bishops not McGill. Although still well known in the US, McGill has fallen in the Canadian rankings over the past 30 years due to lower tuition fees from Quebec residents and lack of investment because there was fear of separation for a few decades. That could be said for the whole province for a long period of time. Luckily things have changed and Quebec’s economy is doing much better. McGill is still a good school but would say top 5. In general if a child is young most are able to learn multiple languages and go on and pursue English university if they want. If your child really struggles with languages after a few years then switch to a English education. Being bilingual or trilingual will only benefit your child. Many immigrant parents are fearful that their child will be less successful in English post secondary education if they attend French school and that hasn’t been the case. Actually know many francophone students that have attended McGill medical school in English. Most children can easily absorb languages and learning more languages.

You bring up a lot of good points. However, I do not believe the CAQ or even the Parti Quebecois (if they ever miraculously come back to power) will be able to overturn Bill 115 without pushback from the Supreme Court of Canada. The whole creation of the law was a way to appease the courts, not a display of generosity from the Quebec Liberals to new immigrants. If the original poster sends his child to French school for even one year, he will pretty much forfeit the ability to send his daughter to any government funded school later on using Bill 115. Almost all the good private English schools in Montreal choose to take subsidies in high school because they are able to attract rich people who already have access to public schools but choose to send their kids to private schools. The only option for his daughter then would be second rate unsubsidized schools like Kuper or Kells Academy that actually charge lower tuition than many of the elite schools like Selwyn, LCC, ECS, St George’s, etc but do not have the same prestige. I would not want to pay 15k to send my daughter to a private school that is not necessarily better than public school but would be my only option if I wanted her to have an English education because I do not have access to government-funded schools. On the other hand, if I was rich, I would gladly pay 25k to send my kids to the aforementioned subsidized private schools that cater to the Anglophone elite because they actually provide a good private school education. The non-subsidized schools pretty much just cater to the middle class French and immigrant crowd, you’re not going to find anyone with a certificate sending their kids there! What is the point of going to an English school where no one actually speaks English as their mother tongue?

In addition to growing tech sector, finance is also another lucrative industry where French is not necessarily needed. A lot of expats have actually been hired from other countries to fill these positions, and since they are on non-immigrant work visas, they can send their kids to English schools with zero restrictions. But this does not apply to the original poster since he has already received PR.

On the topic of McGill, it is an internationally renowned university unlike Bishop so of course it is going to attract Francophones and international students. Students from France actually pay the same local tuition as Quebec students which is why so many of them attend the school. It is a little bit ridiculous that foreigners from France pay a cheaper tuition than Canadians from other provinces but that is an unrelated issue. Keep in mind also that CEGEPs are not covered under Bill 101 so there were many people from French schools who attended Marianopolis and Dawson.