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Ontario celebrates the 20th anniversary of the French Language Services Act

On this occasion, the Office of Francophone Affairs is issuing this special publication that outlines the progress of the Francophonie in Ontario over the past two decades.

The Office of Francophone Affairs and the French Language Services Act

This year, the province of Ontario and its Francophone citizens in particular are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the French Language Services Act.

Recognizing the historic role of the French language in Ontario and affirming the need to safeguard it for future generations, the French Language Services Act guarantees the right to receive services in French from central offices of the provincial government and in the 25 areas designated under the Act.

Agencies where the majority of board members are appointed by the government, and all institutions of the Legislative Assembly are subject to the provisions of the French Language Services Act. The Act also provides that certain government-funded agencies may be designated and required to provide services in French. To date, more than 200 agencies (hospitals, children's aid societies, nursing homes) have been designated.

The mission of the Office of Francophone Affairs is to:

• Oversee the administration and support the implementation of the French Language Services Act;
• Ensure that the interests of the Francophone community are taken into account in the planning, development and implementation of government policies, programs and services.

The French Language Services Act is part of a broader legal framework of language rights in Ontario:

• The 1984 Courts of Justice Act recognizes the official status of French in Ontario's provincial courts;
• The 1990 Education Act recognizes the right of Francophones to receive an elementary and secondary education in French;
• The 1997 Fewer School Boards Act presides over the creation of 12 French-language school boards; and
• The 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees language rights.

French-language Services: 25 Designated Areas

The following areas have been designated under the French Language Services Act. In these regions, Francophones have the right to receive services in French in Government of Ontario offices.

In order to be designated, an area is customarily required to meet one of the following criteria:

• Francophones make up at least 10% of the population, or
• In the case of urban centres, the number of Francophones exceeds 5,000.

1. City of Toronto
2. City of Hamilton (as it existed on December 31, 2000)
3. Regional Municipality of Niagara: Cities of Port Colborne and Welland
4. City of Ottawa
5. Regional Municipality of Peel: City of Mississauga, City of Brampton (effective January 1, 2007)
6. City of Greater Sudbury
7. Dundas County: Township of Winchester
8. Essex County: City of Windsor, Towns of Belle River and Tecumseh; Townships of Anderdon, Colchester North, Maidstone, Sandwich South, Sandwich West, Tilbury North, Tilbury West and Rochester
9. Glengarry County
10. Kent County: Town of Tilbury; Townships of Dover and Tilbury East
11. Prescott County
12. Renfrew County: City of Pembroke; Townships of Stafford and Westmeath
13. Russell County
14. Simcoe County: Town of Penetanguishene; Townships of Tiny and Essa
15. Stormont County
16. Algoma District
17. Cochrane District
18. Kenora District: Township of Ignace
19. Nipissing District
20. Sudbury District
21. Thunder Bay District: Towns of Geraldton, Longlac and Marathon; Townships of Manitouwadge, Beardmore, Nakina and Terrace Bay
22. Timiskaming District
23. Middlesex County: City of London
24. Parry Sound District: Municipality of Callander
25. Kingston and the Islands (effective May 1st, 2009)

      – The administrative areas where the whole area is designated.

      – The administrative areas where only a portion of the area is designated.

You will find above a complete list of the 25 areas designated under the French Language Services Act.

A Statistical Profile of Ontario's Francophones

The number of Francophones continues to grow

Officially, the number of Ontarians whose mother tongue is French is 548,940. Outside of Quebec, more Francophones live in Ontario than in any other province or territory of Canada.

In 2001, Ontario had 6,600 more Francophones than when the previous census was conducted (1996); this represents a 1.2% increase in five years.

The 2001 Census numbers (most recent) present a minority community that is undergoing a transformation—a minority affected by assimilation, but also strengthened by an influx of Francophones from Quebec and abroad. Today, one in three Francophones in Ontario was born outside of the province and racial minorities make up 10.3% of Ontario's Francophone population.

Here is a brief statistical profile of Ontario's Francophones that is based on data from the 2001 Census:

DEMOGRAPHY

• Ontario's 548,940 Francophones account for 4.8% of the province's total population.
• The Francophone population is concentrated in Eastern Ontario (41.3%), Central Ontario (25.6%), and Northeastern Ontario (25.2%).
• More than four out of every five (81.5%) Francophones in Ontario live in an area that has been designated under the French Language Services Act.
• From 1996 to 2001, the number of Francophones belonging to a racial minority increased by more than 40%. Some 33.2% of the Francophone population of Toronto and 14.1% of the Francophone population of Ottawa belong to a racial minority.

MOBILITY, PLACE OF BIRTH

• Approximately 40,480 Francophones settled in Ontario between 1996 and 2001. Of this number, 32,725 came from other provinces in Canada, mostly from Quebec, and 7,760 came from outside of Canada.
• More than one-third (36.6%) of Francophones aged 20 and over from Quebec settled in the Ottawa region and nearly 15% settled in the Toronto region. Most immigrants opted for Central Ontario (55.2%) and Eastern Ontario (35.9%).

WORK, EDUCATION

• For one in every three Francophones, French is the language spoken most often in the workplace. However, more than two out of three Francophones (67.4%) say that they speak their mother tongue at work "often" or "regularly".
• The average employment income for Francophones is higher than that of the general population. The average employment income for Francophone women is 68% of the average income of men – which represents a smaller gap than is found in the general population.
• In Ontario, the level of education for Francophones is slightly lower than that of the general population. However, among those with an undergraduate degree, Francophones are more likely than the general population to pursue a graduate degree.

For a full statistical profile of the Franco-Ontarian community, visit: www.ofa.gov.on.ca/english/stats.html.

Creation of the Ontario Francophonie Awards

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the French Language Services Act, the Government of Ontario created the Ontario Francophonie Awards.

These awards will honour both Francophones and Francophiles (those who, without being Francophone, have promoted French language and culture) who have recently made a remarkable contribution to the political, social, economic or cultural advancement and vitality of Ontario's Francophone community.

The Ontario Francophonie Awards will be presented once a year to at least one Francophone and at least one Francophile. Nominees must be residents or former residents of Ontario and have, within the last few years, carried out initiatives that have benefited the Francophone community. Nominations for the 2006 awards were submitted last spring.

An independent selection committee considers all nominations and selects the recipients. The 2006 selection committee was comprised of Marielle Beaulieu, Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada; Maxim Jean-Louis, President, Contact Nord; Simon Lalande, Past President, Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario; Marie Larose, Past President, Club canadien de Toronto; and Kenneth McRoberts, Principal, Glendon College in Toronto. The committee met in the fall to select the recipients of the first Francophonie Awards.

The first Ontario Francophonie Awards were given to the recipients on November 20, 2006 in Ottawa, at the closing ceremony for the 20th anniversary of the French Language Services Act. To learn more about the Francophonie Awards and its inaugural recipients, visit the Office of Francophone Affairs website at www.ofa.gov.on.ca.

Nominations for the second Francophonie Awards will begin on April 1, 2007. Please continue to visit the Office's website regularly for nomination forms.

French-language Services: Past, Present, Future

Since the late 1960s, the Government of Ontario has adopted a series of measures to create or enhance the provision of French-language services. This chronology traces some important steps of this process. A more extensive list of the achievements of Ontario's Francophonie is provided on the Office of Francophone Affairs website at www.ofa.gov.on.ca.

FRANCOPHONE AFFAIRS

1972

• Adoption of a government policy on the delivery of French-language services (obligation to translate documents intended for public distribution, to respond in French to written requests for information in French, creation of the first designated areas).

1977

• Beginning of bilingual signage in government buildings; appointment of French-language services coordinators in some ministries.

1985

• The Office of the Provincial Coordinator of French Language Services becomes the Office of Francophone Affairs.

1986

• Enactment of the French Language Services Act (Bill 8), which consolidates existing policies and recognizes the right of Francophones to receive government services in French and to communicate with the Ontario government in French.
• Establishment of simultaneous interpretation services at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

1988

• Designation of the first 47 agencies under the French Language Services Act.

1989

• On November 19, 1989, the French Language Services Act comes into effect, guaranteeing the right to receive services in French.

1990

• Placement of bilingual signage on provincial highways.

2001

• The Franco-Ontarian flag becomes an official emblem of the province.

2003

• Licence plates display, on request, the Franco- Ontarian flag.

2004

• Designation of Brampton and Callander under the French Language Services Act.

2005

• Creation of the Ontario Francophonie Awards to recognize Francophones and Francophiles who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of the French fact in Ontario. 2006
• Designation of Kingston under the French Language Services Act.
• Revitalization of TFO. The network is on its way to becoming an independent and self-governing organization.
• Signing of the Ontario-Quebec Cooperation Protocol on Francophone Affairs.

EDUCATION

1968

• Official recognition of French-language elementary schools; authorization to create French-language sections at the secondary level.
• Creation of French-language advisory committees within school boards.

1979

• School boards are required to establish Frenchlanguage classes, sections or schools where numbers warrant.

1984

• Recognition of the right of Francophones to receive an education in French at the elementary and secondary levels and removal of the "where numbers warrant" requirement.

1986

• Enactment of legislation on school governance giving Francophones exclusive control of Frenchlanguage schools and sections.

1988

• Creation of French-language community literacy centres.

1990

• Opening of Ontario's first French-language college of applied arts and technology, La Cité collégiale, in Ottawa.

1995

• Opening of Collège Boréal in Sudbury. 1997
• Creation of 12 French-language school boards (4 public and 8 Catholic).

2000

• Creation by the 12 French-language school boards of the SAMFO project, a multimedia and e-learning initiative designed to compensate for the geographic and demographic dispersion of the Francophone school population in Ontario by ensuring access to more courses at the secondary level.

2006

• The growing number of French-language schools gives rights holders increased access to Frenchlanguage education across the province.
• Launch of the Politique d'aménagement linguistique, a language planning policy to promote the French language and culture, improve student achievement, and help keep young Franco-Ontarians in French-language schools.

HEALTH

1988

• Creation of the first Centre médico-social communautaire (Toronto) to bring health and social services under one roof. Others will open in Cornwall (1989), Sudbury (1991), Hamilton (1992), Welland (1992) and New Liskeard (1996).

2002

• A five-year memorandum of understanding is reached by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the French-Language Health Services Network of Eastern Ontario.

2006

• Expansion of Montfort Hospital, the only Frenchlanguage teaching hospital in Ontario.
• Passage of the Local Health System Integration Act, 2006 which provides for the creation of a French-language advisory council on health care services in French and for mandatory community engagement with Francophone planning entities at the local level.

PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

1991

• Creation of a program to assist sexual assault victims in order to improve the services offered in French to Francophone women.

2005

• Creation of a help line for Francophone women who are victims of violence: 1 877 FEMAIDE (1 877 336-2433). Francophone women across the province can access this dedicated toll-free line anytime.

CULTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS

1969

• Creation of a Franco-Ontarian Office of the Ontario Arts Council and of a French-language section at TVOntario.

1987

• TVOntario's La Chaîne française, now known as TFO, begins broadcasting.

1993

• The first Salon du livre de Toronto is held in October 1993, with the support of Ontario ministries.

1994

• Creation of the Prix Trillium, an annual award for Ontario's Francophone writers.

2006

• Establishment of an improvement program for French-language, rural, Northern, and First Nations libraries.

JUSTICE

1979

• Recognition of the right of Francophones to criminal proceedings in French in Ontario.

1984

• Enactment of the Courts of Justice Act, giving French and English official language status in Ontario's court system.

1991

• The Revised Statutes of Ontario are published in French.

1993

• Designation of the first two French-language legal clinics under the French Language Services Act (one in Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry and the other in Prescott-Russell).

1998

• Enactment of the Legal Aid Services Act, 1998, resulting in the creation of Legal Aid Ontario/ Aide juridique Ontario, an independent government-funded agency subject to the French Language Services Act.

2000

• Establishment of a Francophone stakeholders forum for the justice sector.

2002

• Memorandum of understanding to open the first Francophone legal aid clinic in Toronto, followed by the Ottawa clinic in 2003.

2003

• Launch of the Ontario Provincial Police strategy for the delivery of French-language services.

2004

• Creation of a French Language Institute for Professional Development through which professionals in the justice system can increase their French-language abilities.

MUNICIPALITIES

2006

• Creation of a website, Centre d'archives des règlements municipaux, which provides the English and French versions of municipal by-laws.

The Franco-Ontarian Directory is now more than a directory

For years, the Office of Francophone Affairs published the Franco-Ontarian Directory, which listed all of the organizations, agencies, institutions, and associations that operate in French in Ontario. It was a valuable and much-appreciated tool.

Today, the Internet technology offers more practical and interactive options. The new Directory, now electronic, has been completely redesigned, checked and published online on the Office's website at www.ofa.gov.on.ca.

It's no longer a directory but a database. And it's a very useful tool, more accessible and userfriendly. Searches can be conducted by:

• ORGANIZATION NAME
• CONTACT PERSON'S FIRST OR LAST NAME
• REGION
• COUNTY
• CITY
• POSTAL CODE
• CATEGORY

AN INTUITIVE SEARCH

"I want to get in touch with someone, but I don't remember which organization this person works for"

Find it by searching by last name!

"Who is the contact person for the XYZ Association?"

Find that person by searching by organization.

"How many French-language publishers are there in Ontario?"

Find out by searching by category.

"I would like to find out about Francophone agencies in my city."

Search by county, city or postal code.

USEFUL TIPS

"Is it 'the Federation' or 'the Association'...?"

If you can't remember the exact name, you can do a search using just one word or part of the name of the organization you're looking for.

"Is it 'Ouellet' or 'Ouellette'?"

If you aren't sure how to spell it, you can do a search with just part of a name. A search of 'Ouellet' will give you a list of all of the Ouellets and Ouellettes in the database.

To narrow your search to a specific geographic area, enter the first few characters of the postal code.

KEY TO SUCCESS

If you want to add an organization or change an address, just e-mail us. It will benefit the organization by increasing its visibility. It will improve the directory, which will become more up-to-date and relevant. It will benefit the entire Francophone and Francophile community. A small gesture with a big result!

Available in alternative format