Portrait of the Francophone Community in Ontario
The French presence in Ontario dates back nearly 400 years to the establishment of the Mission of Sainte-Marie-Among-the-Hurons (Simcoe County) in 1639. Today, after four centuries, Ontario's francophone community numbers 611,500, i.e. 4.8% of the province's total population (according to Statistics Canada 2011 census). The distribution of the francophone population in Ontario is as follows: 42.2% of Francophones live in Eastern Ontario; 30.0% live in Central Ontario; 20.8% live in Northeastern Ontario; 5.7% live in Southwestern Ontario; and 1.2% live in Northwestern Ontario. Like the general population of Ontario, the Franco-Ontarian community is diverse and vibrant. For many years, it has welcomed francophones from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Today, francophone racial minorities represent 10% of the province's Francophone population. Ontario's Francophonie is a dynamic community because of its many institutions and associations in the fields of education, culture, health, justice, the economy and communications. Franco-Ontarians have access to a school system that spans from junior kindergarten to high school. High school graduates may study in French at one of three French-language colleges (University of Guelph's Alfred College, Collège Boréal, La Cité collégiale) or at one of six Ontario universities that offer instruction in French (York University's Glendon College, Collège universitaire de Hearst, Dominican University College, University of Ottawa, Laurentian University, and Saint Paul University). Francophones also have access to community centres, health care centres, festivals, art galleries, publishers, and numerous media that offer them services in French. This network of institutions and associations has contributed to the construction and growth of the Franco-Ontarian identity. For more information on Ontario's Francophone community, please consult the statistical report published by the Ontario government and Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).
