TIMMINS - Rainy weather isn’t dampening Franco-Ontarian pride today.
Students from the public and Catholic francophone school systems sang and cheered to celebrate Franco-Ontario flag day today (Sept. 25).
While the event was originally planned at the new Centre Culturel La Ronde building as part of their grand opening celebrations, wet weather sent organizers to the École secondaire catholique Thériault’s auditorium instead.
“I’m just blown away, I’m so excited, and we’re so blessed to have all these people around us,” said Lynne Guertin with La Ronde. “That’s how strong we are as a francophone community. We have each other’s backs.”
This year marks the 49th anniversary of the Ontario government recognizing the Franco-Ontarian flag officially. It first flew over the campus of Laurentian University in Sudbury in 1975.
“It’s a monumental moment for us. It’s a celebration of who we are,” said Rene Gaudreau, Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes Rivières communications director. “We get out our green and white and we celebrate proudly our heritage.”
There are 622,415 Franco-Ontarians living in Ontario, according to the province’s 2022 report on francophone affairs.
“We pivoted and we came up with another option, luckily we have great artists who are willing to work with us and do four shows instead of two,” said Gaudreau.
Performers Johanne Lefebvre et Brian St-Pierre’s performances include three at Thériault and one at École publique Lionel-Gauthier.
St-Pierre is one of the composers of the Franco-Ontarian anthem to the flag, Mon beau drapeau, with Jean-Pierre Perreault.
“To keep our French language alive, and still continue to talk and sing and celebrate, this is fantastic,” said St-Pierre. “It’s time to celebrate what we’ve got!”
Seeing the community get together to celebrate is something both performers love to see.
“It’s nice to include the small ones because you have to start them young, they have to be proud, they have to enjoy the culture around them and be part of something big,” said LeFebvre. “It’s just a reminder that they must keep their culture.”
The party doesn’t stop today.
SEE: La Ronde's ready to celebrate its new building
La Ronde is hosting several events throughout the rest of the week including the Bel Âge club’s first official dinner in the new building on Thursday and the official opening of L’Armise, La Ronde’s bar, with performances from many special guests.
“Everyone is invited because I know there are so many great stories about our bar, and it was open over the summer but now we’re opening officially,” said Guertin.
Saturday is for families and children with games and a brunch starting at 10 a.m.
“We’re so proud of our building and our French community. We want to share it with everyone,” said Guertin. “It’s a family day!”
Keeping the children engaged in their language, culture, and community is a big reason why events like Franco-Ontarian Flag Day are so important, she said.
“This is so awesome, all the francophone flags everywhere!”
