Today is Franco-Ontarian Day, and to celebrate, thousands converged at North Bay City Hall. Almost everyone wore green and white – the colours of the Franco-Ontarian flag – and all were eager to see their flag hoisted high.
“We’re celebrating our people, our culture, and we’re celebrating this community,” said Sebastien Goyer, president of Les Compagnons des francs loisirs. Indeed, the community is key for the organization, and members are proud of what they have been able to accomplish in the city and the region.
Les Compagnons wants to “open our doors to the community” a little wider, Goyer said. “Come in,” he invited, “and enjoy our culture. We’re here for you, and we want to be community partners.”
See: Les Compagnons des francs loisirs launches Saison Culturelle
Today’s celebration was but one of a full roster of events throughout the region. West Nipissing, Mattawa, and East Ferris all have celebrations planned to honour Franco-Ontarian Day.
“The Municipality of East Ferris is proud to raise the Franco-Ontarian flag in acknowledgement of the community’s francophone heritage and its many French-speaking residents,” emphasized East Ferris’ Mayor, Pauline Rochefort.
North Bay’s Mayor, Peter Chirico, attended the flag raising at City Hall, along with Coun. Justine Mallah and Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield. The day “celebrates over 400 years of French presence in Ontario,” the mayor said to all gathered “to celebrate the Francophone community.”
For the Mayor’s full speech, see the video below.
Events like today “bring us back and remind us of where we came from but also where we’re going,” Goyer said. “And I’m so proud of what we do in North Bay. I’m speechless.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
