About Bonjour Calgary

Bonjour Calgary started with a simple observation: Calgary has a lively, growing French-speaking community, excellent schools and organizations, and a long francophone history, yet a newcomer searching for « vivre en français à Calgary » finds scattered pieces rather than one trustworthy starting point. We want to be that starting point.

What this site is

A bilingual, French-first community hub for Calgary. Four doors lead in:

• New to Calgary: an interactive checklist for your first weeks and months, with versions for people arriving from Quebec, from abroad, as a student or as a family.
• City guide: practical, sourced guides to getting around, winter, health care, schools, work, food, housing and French-language services.
• Events and community: a moderated calendar of French conversation groups, cultural events, family activities and networking, each with its source and organizer.
• Learn: short, original lessons for practising French (and English, for French speakers) in real Calgary situations, with a Calgary Passport of optional badges.

Around those doors you will find a directory of French-speaking organizations and professionals, a neighbourhood explorer built on City of Calgary open data, stories and explainers, and a clearly labelled housing section where Frank Clement offers his services as a REALTOR®.

Who it is for

People who already live here in French. People arriving from Quebec, Acadia, Ontario, France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Maghreb, West and Central Africa, Haiti and the Caribbean, Lebanon, Vietnam and everywhere else French is spoken. Anglophones learning French. Parents weighing francophone schools against French immersion. Teachers, students, retirees, entrepreneurs and the person who simply wants to order a coffee in French on 17th Avenue.

We never assume a shared background, religion, immigration status or family shape. If a page seems to assume one, tell us and we will fix it.

Who is behind it

Bonjour Calgary is published by REPYYC, Real Estate Partners at Real Broker, Suite 101, 7710 5 Street SE, Calgary, AB T2H 2L9. Frank Clement, a French-speaking REALTOR® originally from Quebec, is the person behind the project and the human face of the housing section. He wanted a place where French-speaking Calgarians could find each other, and where the people he meets through work could find more than a sales pitch.

What it is not

• It is not a government service and does not give legal, immigration, medical or financial advice. Every factual guide links to the official door.
• It is not a social network. There are no accounts, profiles or direct messages. Community discussion may come later, only once we have the moderation tools to run it safely.
• It is not a listings site. We do not display properties or claim a listing is current unless an approved data source exists.
• It is not a lead funnel. Joining an event, using a lesson or suggesting a directory entry never puts you in a marketing list. Only a housing inquiry you choose to send reaches Frank’s team.

How we work

Facts have sources and dates. Every guide shows when it was last reviewed and lists the official pages it relies on. We do not invent hours, fees, eligibility rules or statistics. When a figure changes often, we tell you where to look instead of quoting it.

French is written, not translated. Our French is Canadian French that a Québécoise, a Franco-Albertain and a Dakarois read comfortably. Before launch, a fluent French editor reviews the important pages.

People moderate. Event submissions, directory suggestions, corrections and story proposals are read by a person before anything appears. We publish what we can verify and tell you when we cannot.

Your data stays yours. Lesson progress, checklist progress and language choice live only in your browser. We do not run advertising cookies. The privacy page explains what the forms collect and where it goes.

Pica, our magpie

Every learning app needs a guide, and ours is Pica, a black-billed magpie in a toque. Magpies are loud, clever and everywhere in Calgary, usually the first neighbour a newcomer notices. Pica is an original character drawn for this site. Pica does not nag, does not keep shame-based streaks and does not send notifications. Pica stamps your Calgary Passport when you choose to earn a badge, and otherwise minds its own business, which is more than you can say for the real ones.

Where we are

Calgary sits on the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Piikani and Kainai), the Tsuut’ina Nation and the Stoney Nakoda (Chiniki, Bearspaw and Goodstoney First Nations), and is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3. French-speaking Calgary has its own layer in that history, from the Rouleau brothers and the Mission district to today’s schools and festivals. We try to tell it accurately.

How to contribute

• Propose an event through the event submission form. Organizers welcome.
• Suggest a directory listing or a correction through the directory form.
• Share your story of arriving, settling or raising a family in French through the stories page. We only publish interviews with your consent.
• Report an error on any page through the corrections form; the link sits at the bottom of every guide.
• Join the network if you are a French-speaking professional who serves the community, through the network page.

Contact

General questions, partnership ideas and privacy requests: info@repyyc.com. Housing questions for Frank go through the contact page, which is separate on purpose.