Fort Frances recognizes local Franco-Ontarians

The Franco-Ontarian flag is flying over the Fort Frances Civic Centre.

It was raised during a ceremony to mark Franco-Ontarian Day.

Mayor Andrew Hallikas says the region’s Francophone community has endured to preserve its language, culture and identity.

“Today, we are all proud to have a remarkable Francophone community within northwestern Ontario, which has made its mark in various fields, including Francophone writers, artists, entrepreneurs and community leaders, and all of them have contributed to the cultural richness and success of our region,” says Hallikas.

The flag was first unfurled 50 years ago.

The Franco Ontario Day Act, legislated on April 26, 2010, declared September 25th of each year to be recognized as Franco Ontarian Day throughout the province.

There are more than 745,000 Francophones in Ontario, the largest such community outside of Quebec.

The 2021 Census identified 75 French-speaking residents in Fort Frances.

While small, Hallikas says it is still important to recognize them.

“It’s very important. Fort Frances is a multicultural community. We have Italians, Ukrainians, Finns, and of course, we have our Indigenous population,” says Hallikas.

“We welcome all of them. And we want all of them to be happy and safe and secure and prosper here in Fort Frances. So, these events are a pleasure to do where we can showcase one segment of our population and say how we’re proud of them and we wish them well and we want to see them prosper.”