St. Jean Baptiste Day kicks off with a Franco-Ontarian flag raising in Greater Sudbury
June 24 is St. Jean Baptiste Day, a day when francophone culture and history is celebrated.
Every year on June 24, the Franco-Ontarian flag is raised at a new location in Greater Sudbury. This year the chosen spot was at a local fire hall.
It's an initiative that began in 2003.
“Back when city council refused to float the Franco-Ontarian flag in front of city hall,” said Joanne Gervais, executive director of the Association canadienne-francaise de l’Ontario.
“We took it upon ourselves to increase visibility and increase knowledge on the Franco-Ontarian flag and what it represented.”
Gervais said the flag raising is a celebration for many and she wants people to know it will stay that way.
“If I go back to 2003, a lot of the concerns were or what people were telling us was 'if you put up the Franco-Ontarian flag, we have to put up the Italian flag and we have to put up the British flag,' which is a false equivalency obviously because the Franco-Ontarian flag in Ontario,” said Gervais.
“It’s a celebration of being from here. So extra Franco-Ontarian flags doesn’t hurt anybody. We’re not going anywhere and we are proud.”
The Franco-Ontarian flag was designed in Sudbury by a professor and student at Laurentian University. It was first flown in 1975.
Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger said it’s vital to respect the flag and what it represents.
“It’s very important that we continue raising these flags across Sudbury because it’s a significant part of our heritage," Bigger said.
"I’m very proud as the mayor to be able to participate and support these activities over many years.”
As part of the celebrations, a concert featuring francophone musicians Robert Paquette and Zachary Richard will be held at Collège Boréal Saturday at 8 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.