Franco-Ontarian Day is celebrated every year on September 25 to commemorate the anniversary of the inaugural raising of the Franco-Ontarian Flag in 1975 at the University of Sudbury.

Officially recognized by the legislative assembly in 2010, Franco-Ontarian Day is an opportunity to honour Franco-Ontarians, and their contributions to the cultural, historical, social, economic, and political life of the province. It is also a day for Franco-Ontarians to celebrate and take pride in their heritage, which spans over 400 years.

Ontario is home to more than 622,000 Francophones and 1.5 million French-speaking Ontarians—the largest Francophone community in Canada outside of Quebec.

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) is committed to providing care that respects the needs of the Francophone community, including their cultural preferences, values, and linguistic needs. This year, TBRHSC is honoured to have received a French Language Supports grant from Ontario Health, to increase the accessibility of French Language services at our Hospital.

Franco-Ontarian Flag

The Franco-Ontario flag was developed by a history professor and a political science student at the University of Sudbury, Gaétan Gervais and Michel Dupuis, to stand as a symbol of Franco-Ontarian identity and community.

The Franco-Ontarian Flag has a green and white background, which represents summer and winter — the two extremes of Ontario’s climate. A white Fleur-de-lys is featured on the green band, representing French people worldwide. A green trillium on the white band presents the official flower of the province of Ontario.

In 2001, the Franco-Ontarian flag was officially recognized as the emblem of the Franco-Ontarian community.