The following information has been provided by Ms. Mihan Rigoli, one of the founders of the Iranian Cultural Society of West Island

The Iranian Cultural Society of West Island was registered with the Quebec Government in January 1985 by a few enthusiastic Iranian parents. In June 1985, the first Farsi class was held at Pointe-Claire library, and at the same time, some Gym space was rented at YMCA on Douglas Shand Street for recreational activities such as Volleyball and basketball. The increase in the number of students provided the opportunity to rent a few classrooms at Herbert Purcell School to teach Farsi to Iranian and non-Iranian individuals and also offer French lessons to Iranians, the latter funded by the Quebec government. Since then, the school has moved to a number of locations to hold Farsi classes on Saturdays for children from the pre-school level up to grade eight. Each year a proposal was submitted to the federal government in order to receive funding for activities such as Youth Club, Elderly Club, and English & French classes. In the mid-1990s, our teachers recommended the use of new textbooks which were easier to learn. The federal government approved a proposal to partially fund the publication of new books for grades one to eight. The preschool book, on the other hand, was registered by an Iranian school in Ottawa. This funding had an everlasting impact on the activities of the school.

We celebrated several occasions such as Mehregan, Haloween, Yalda, end school party, first Saturday evening of each month at A Ma Baie Chalet which was provided by the City of Pierrefonds. We used to invite Iranian poets, writers, historians, doctors, dentists, and immigration lawyers to some events we held throughout the year. Our organization has been continuously supported by local MPs and MNAs, and as a non-profit entity, we were able to improve our facilities, pay for school rent and pay salaries to the teachers. The organization has also benefited significantly from the parents’ suggestions on different issues throughout these years.