Luso Canadian Charitable Society and Instituto Camões break up in Toronto

Here's how they broke up, one year after it began. The Luso Canadian Charitable Society believes it's better off without Camões, and is even planning an expansion.

Questioned by Lusa, Ana Paula Ribeiro (Coordinator of Teaching Portuguese in Canada) explained that the protocol on which the Portuguese Language Centre in Toronto was founded "was to be terminated because the Luso Canadian Charitable Society said they would not be able to comply with the conditions established therein."

Under the agreement, the Instituto Camões was to assume the pedagogical and didactic responsibilities and the Luso Canadian Charitable Society was given responsibilities for financial management of the project and provision of the real estate for the school.

The Centre in Toronto began activities in September, with an average of 60 students for 2011 to 2012.

The end of the partnership was confirmed by the president of the Luso Canadian Charitable Society, stating the "inability to respond to the number of requirements imposed by the Institute Camões." However, "our Portuguese language school will continue to function without the Instituto Camões. We are keeping the same director that we had until now."

He announced on the other hand an expansion of the project teaching Portuguese with the planned opening of another school located in Hamilton, 70 km from Toronto, "which will cost two million dollars" (Canadian).