deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Franco-Ontarians (French: Franco-Ontariens or Franco-Ontariennes if female, sometimes known as Ontarois and Ontaroises) are Francophone Canadians that reside in the province of Ontario.

The first francophones to settle in Ontario did so during the early 17th century, when most of it was part of the Pays d’en Haut region of New France. It extended from Newfoundland to the Canadian Prairies and from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico, including all the Great Lakes of North America. The continent-traversing Saint Lawrence and Mississippi rivers were means of carrying French influence through much of North America.

The population rose slowly but steadily. In 1754, New France’s population consisted of 10,000 Acadians, 55,000 Canadiens, and about 4,000 settlers in upper and lower Louisiana; 69,000 in total. The British expelled the Acadians in the Great Upheaval from 1755 to 1764.

Since the very beginning there has been an underlying stress with everyone who consider themselves ‘True Francophones’ (French ancestry accompanied by French speaking) and whatever government they have found themselves living under. With a large population living in the Canadian Province of Ontario that stress bubbles up periodically with cries of succession from Canada.

In 1975 a flag was created by Laurentia University professor Gaétan Gervais in conjunction with students Michel Dupuis, Donald Obonsawin and Yves Tassé, to represent true Francophones of Ontario.

The Franco-Ontarian flag is a symbol created to represent Franco-Ontarians, reflecting the diverse languages, seasons and people of Ontario. The design consists of two bands of green and white. The left portion has a solid light green background with a white fleur-de-lys in the middle, while the right portion has a solid white background with a stylized green trillium in the middle. 

The green represents the summer months, while the white represents the winter months. The trillium is the floral symbol of Ontario, while the fleur-de-lys represents the French Canadian heritage of the Franco-Ontarian community. 

Therefore you have a flag representing an ethnic group that is officially recognized and approved by the government. Vexillologist’s consider it a strong, ‘good flag’.