Thunder Bay’s compact yet influential Francophone community gathered at city hall on Thursday dressed in green and white to commemorate Franco-Ontarian day and mark the 50th anniversary of the Franco-Ontarian flag. This flag was designed in 1975 by University of Sudbury professor Gaétan Gervais and student Michel Dupuis to honor French-speaking residents in Ontario.
The sight of the flag being raised at Thunder Bay city hall was described as “fantastic” by Claudette Gleeson, the president of L’Association des Francophones NWO. She emphasized the symbolic importance of the flag, highlighting the community’s significance despite comprising less than 3% of the population.
Compared to northeastern Ontario, northwestern Ontario has a smaller Francophone presence, with Greater Sudbury having 25% of its population listing French as their primary language. Gleeson noted that this smaller size has fostered a close-knit and culturally rich community similar to French communities in more remote regions like the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut.
The event was attended by many students from local Francophone schools, including Isabella Belda-Wright, a student trustee at the conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales (CSDCAB). Belda-Wright stressed the importance of nurturing the Franco-Ontarian spirit among younger generations, citing the community’s inclusivity and opportunities for personal and educational growth.
Paula Haapanen, vice president of the Northern Policy Institute and a coordinator of Festival BONJOUR, shared her experience of inadvertently becoming part of the Franco-Ontarian community in northwestern Ontario through learning French. She praised the community’s strength, dynamism, and dedication to providing services and creating opportunities for everyone, regardless of their fluency in French.
Overall, the Franco-Ontarian Day celebration in Thunder Bay showcased the resilience and vibrancy of the local Francophone community, highlighting its contributions and commitment to preserving its heritage for future generations.
