Ontario celebrates Franco-Ontarian Day with regional festivities

Communities across Ontario celebrated Franco-Ontarian Day with various ceremonies and awards to honor the province’s francophone identity and culture.

In Thunder Bay, the Franco-Ontarian flag was raised at City Hall. Local leaders noted the importance of maintaining French language education and services, particularly in northwestern Ontario where geographic distances can make community coordination challenging. Ontario is home to more than 650,000 francophones, the second-largest community in Canada.

In the Nipissing region, flag-raising ceremonies were organized by Les Compagnons des francs loisirs across five municipalities, including North Bay, Sturgeon Falls, Bonfield, Mattawa, and East Ferris.

In Sudbury, Joanne Gervais was awarded the Prix de la francophonie during the Franco-Ontarian banquet held at Collège Boréal. Gervais, a former director of the Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario (ACFO) of Greater Sudbury, was recognized for her decades of involvement and advocacy within the francophone community.