Franco-Ontarian Flag Raised At Dryden City Hall

Micheline Lovenuk attended, representing the French Catholic District School Board-Conseil Scolaire de District Catholique des Aurores Boréales, the French school in Dryden-école Catholique de l’Enfant-Jésus, AFNOO-the Association of Franco-phones in Northwestern Ontario and the Dryden French club.

“Today we raise a flag and it represents who we are and that we are an active group of francophone, exercising our legal right as french speaking people.”

Lovenuk says speaking french was almost unheard of when she was growing up in Thunder Bay.

Micheline Lovenuk

“We didn’t know any french speaking people, mostly because people weren’t allowed to speak french. We were a big family and spoke french at home, my Father insisted on it. I’m grateful for that today. When we moved to Dryden speaking french was taboo. My first experience moving here I was speaking french to another couple I met at the grocery store, the old Harley’s supermarket and someone in the community came up and said, you shouldn’t be speaking french we speak English here. I couldn’t believe people would talk like that.”

Lovenuk shares what this day means to her.

“French to me is my heritage, I am so proud of being french, I get excited when I hear someone else speaking french and proud that my mother and father insisted on us speaking french in an anglophone community. Fast forward 30 years and people have become much more accepting and I think the french immersions and french school has assisted in that area. People have realized that speaking french is not wrong or bad, it’s actually an asset in life.”

Dryden is a supportive community, Lovenuk explains.

“I’d like to thank the town and people of Dryden for giving us the opportunity to show our pride and fly our flag. It means a lot to us. It’s nice when people take a moment and ask, do you speak french, because we don’t have to hide anymore.”