President's Message

This has been a productive year for LLNB.

We are honoured that Herménégilde Chiasson, Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, has become patron of LLNB. He accepted our request without hesitation and with pleasure. As he told Debbie McInnis, LLNB Executive Director, Penny Carruthers and me when he met with us at Old Government House last winter, it is a cause he believes in passionately.

He told us, and eloquently repeated the story at the Greater Moncton Literacy Council's annual Christmas dinner, held last May about growing up in St. Simon on the Acadian Peninsula where most people, including his father did not know how to read. As well, he said, that when he learned how to read, "It was as if a light shone on him and made everything clear."

We have no doubt he will be a powerful champion for the cause of adult literacy in this province.

In April the 5th Annual Northrop Frye International Literary Festival, adopted a new slogan: "Literacy, Language and Literature." In the newspaper insert accompanying the festival, McCain Foods took out a full-page ad in support of LLNB with the slogan "It's never too late to learn to read. Call Laubach Literacy at 1-877-633-8899 today." It surprised even us.

Literacy organizations, including ours, now fall under the umbrella of the provincial Department of Training Employment and Development (TED). This comes as a result of several meetings NGOs held with the three ministers responsible for adult literacy and senior civil servants. Their conclusion, based on our group recommendations, was that TED was the logical choice.

Debbie and I have already met with John Nowlan and John Cunningham senior officials with TED who indicated to us there would be greater cooperation and perhaps increased funding. The first has come through. We're waiting for the second and remain hopeful that it will come along.