This article is an analysis of the discursive space surrounding the terms and conditions of belonging in the Franco-Manitoban community of Saint-Boniface (Manitoba) in 2005. The discourse that is herein analyzed appeared in La Liberté, a French language weekly newspaper. Daniel Lavoie, a Franco-Manitoban singer-songwriter who moved to Québec in the 1970s, addressed a letter to La Liberté expressing his disagreement with the construction of a high-rise, privately owned, residential building on historical ground (the “500 Taché” project). His statements became the center of a spirited debate in the newspaper’s pages, as this construction project deeply divided the local community at that time. This analysis of the “500 Taché” project is part of a larger, ongoing analysis of the role of language in the creation of social boundaries in French Manitoba, and the legitimacy of people who left the province as social actors in present day community events and decisions.