OTTAWA, November 18, 2011 – The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law has conferred an honorary doctorate on Bernard Grandmaître, former Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs.
The doctorate was presented to the former minister yesterday, in Ottawa, during a gala event, as part of the Conference on 25 Years of the French Language Services Act.
QUOTES “We are proud to honour Bernard Grandmaître, a politician who, in particular, played a key role in the adoption of the French Language Services Act, marking an important step for Franco–Ontarians,” said University of Ottawa president Allan Rock.
“Bernard Grandmaître truly changed history. His work and his vision allowed Francophone communities in Ontario to flourish. The Act, which has served us for 25 years, goes beyond symbolic recognition,” stated François Boileau, French Language Services Commissioner.
QUICK FACTS
Bernard Grandmaître was a mayor, MPP and minister during a political career that spanned more than twenty years, beginning in 1969. In 1986, as Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs, he achieved the unanimous adoption of the French Language Services Act.
The French Language Services Act requires the Ontario government to provide services in French to citizens, particularly in 25 designated regions.
The Conference on 25 Years of the French Language Services Act is a joint presentation of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario (AJEFO) and GroupeMédia TFO, with the support of the Office of Francophone Affairs.
INFORMATION
Gyula Kovacs
Public Relations and Communications Officer
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner
416-314-8247 or 1-866-246-5262 communications.flscCSF@ontario.ca
Karine Proulx
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
613-562-5800 ext. 3149 or 613-219-3058 (cell) karine.proulx@uOttawa.ca
Panels of experts on linguistic rights to discuss 25 years of the French Language Services Act
OTTAWA, October 31, 2011 – Franco-Ontarians from various backgrounds and walks of life will meet in Ottawa next month to discuss linguistic rights. The discussions will be held as part of the Conference on 25 Years of the French Language Services Act, which takes place on November 17 and 18, 2011, at the University of Ottawa’s Desmarais Building.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of this quasi-constitutional statute, 25 panelists have been selected to address five different topics: (i) the role of the Act and the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, (ii) reasons for requesting service in French, (iii) reasons to love Ontario’s new Francophonie, (iv) reasons for requesting designation, and (v) future prospects.
A number of organizations will be represented at the Conference and will take part in the discussions. Among the participants: Jacinthe Desaulniers, from the French Language Health Services Network of Eastern Ontario, Denis Hubert-Dutrisac, from Collège Boréal; Raymond Lemay, from Valoris for Children and Adults of Prescott-Russell, Jeannine Proulx, from ACFO Mille-Îles, and Max Cooke, from Canadian Parents for French and French for the Future.
The Conference will include an assessment of the impact of the French Language Services Act and a look ahead at what the future holds for French-speaking newcomers and their prospects for integration into Franco-Ontarian society.
QUICK FACTS
The Conference on 25 Years of the French Language Services Act is a collaboration between the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa, the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario (AJEFO) and GroupeMédia TFO, with the support of the Office of Francophone Affairs.
The Conference is intended for university researchers, legal experts as well as the general public.
The Conference and the Gala are open to the media.
INFORMATION
Gyula Kovacs, Public Relations and Communications Officer
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, 416 314-8247 or 1 866 246-5262 communications.flscCSF@ontario.ca
Karine Proulx, Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa, 613 562-5800 ext. 3149, 613 219-3058 (cell) karine.proulx@uOttawa.ca
COMMISSIONER CALLS FOR CHANGES TO FACILITATE THE TRANSFER OF SCHOOL PROPERTIES AND LAND BETWEEN SCHOOL BOARDS
TORONTO, June 28, 2011 – Ontario’s French Language Services Commissioner is asking the provincial government to implement legislative and regulatory changes that would facilitate the transfer, between school boards, of unused land and properties declared surplus. The Commissioner’s request is contained in a document that was published today entitled Investigation Report — French-language schools in the Greater Toronto Area: When the most elementary becomes secondary.
The report stems from a series of complaints from parents citing a lack of French-language schools in Toronto, particularly at the secondary level. According to these parents, this situation forces them to choose between a long commute to often overcrowded French language schools or transferring their children to the English sector.
QUOTE
“Our investigation has confirmed that the number of French-language schools in Toronto is proportionally inferior to the Francophone population,” said Commissioner François Boileau.
“This situation is particularly frustrating for families living in neighbourhoods where there are available surplus schools. The acquisition process must be reviewed, improved and more transparent.”
QUICK FACTS
The Commissioner’s investigation has revealed several flaws in Regulation 444/98, which governs the sale of surplus school properties, including several barriers posed by the self-interest of school boards.
The Commissioner is calling for changes that would support more effective and efficient transactions between school boards.
The Commissioner recommends that the Ministry better support collaborative projects by French-language school boards and provide incentives for joint capital projects.
The Commissioner is also asking the Ministry to identify the need for French-language schools using the Inclusive Definition of Francophone (IDF), which includes Ontarians whose mother tongue is neither English nor French but who speak French at home.
LEARN MORE
Read our investigation report at www.flsc.gov.on.ca in the PUBLICATIONS section.
Gyula Kovacs, Public Relations and Communications Officer
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner
Phone: (416) 314-8247 or 1-866-246-5262 (toll free)
Email: communications.FLSCcsf@ontario.ca
COMMISSIONER CONGRATULATES GOVERNMENT FOR REGULATION MANDATING FRENCH-LANGUAGE SERVICES BY THIRD PARTIES
TORONTO, June 27, 2011 – Ontario’s French Language Services Commissioner is extremely happy with the adoption of a new regulation regarding the services provided by third parties on behalf of government ministries and agencies. This regulation, which had twice been recommended by the Commissioner, protects the delivery of services in French and is a call to order for all of government and its structures.
“With this important gesture, the government has laid another building block in the edifice of linguistic rights for Francophones in Ontario,” said Commissioner François Boileau.
“Furthermore, with this regulatory framework, the government is providing a concrete endorsement of the concept of the active offer of French-language services.”
QUICK FACTS
The new regulation will come into force on July 1, 2011.
It aims to close the loopholes reported by the Commissioner in a fair number of government contracts with various third-party suppliers and partners.
Third parties and ministries must conform to this regulation for all new government contracts, but they will have up to three years to comply for existing agreements.
The regulation requires each ministry to complete a review of current services and make necessary changes.
It also requires ministries to report to the Office of Francophone Affairs regarding the implementation of the new regulation.
This change arrives at a time when the government is embarking on a review of the way it delivers public services — a review that will include looking at private-public partnerships and third-party services delivery.
LEARN MORE
Download our latest annual report at www.flsc.gov.on.ca, under the PUBLICATIONS section.
Read the government’s news release regarding the new regulation.
Gyula Kovacs, Public Relations and Communications Officer
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner
Phone: (416) 314-8247 or 1-866-246-5262 (toll free)
Email: communications.FLSCcsf@ontario.ca
COMMISSIONER SUPPORTS CONCRETE MEASURES ANNOUNCED FOR FRENCH-LANGUAGE HEALTH SERVICES IN PEEL-HALTON REGION
TORONTO, June 7, 2011 – The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner is pleased to report that the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will be implementing concrete measures to ensure the development of primary French-language health care services in the Peel-Halton region.
After carefully considering various potential delivery models, the Ministry has determined that the expansion of the Credit Valley Family Health Team is the best option to respond to the needs of the local Francophone population. This family health team will work in collaboration with the Centre de services de santé Peel et Halton — the organization that had initially turned to the Commissioner’s Office for help.
QUOTE
“This good news allows us to look toward the future with renewed confidence, knowing that Francophones in the Peel-Halton region will soon have access to health services in French,” said Commissioner François Boileau.
“This positive outcome would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of our complainants and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s commitment to achieving results.”
QUICK FACTS
In March 2010, the Commissioner’s Office presented an investigation report requesting concrete measures from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to address the lack of French-language health services in the Peel-Halton region.
As a first response to this investigation, the Ministry acknowledged that it was ultimately responsible for the provision of equivalent French-language health services; the Ministry then proceeded to modify the criteria used to select family health teams to reflect the specific situation of the Francophone community.
The Centre de services de santé Peel et Halton has received $125,000 from the Ministry to help with the recruitment of health professionals and help set up these new services.
The Credit Valley Family Health Team hopes to welcome its first Francophone patients by March 31, 2012.
LEARN MORE
Read our investigation report at www.flsc.gov.on.ca in the PUBLICATIONS section.
Gyula Kovacs, Public Relations and Communications Officer
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner
Phone: (416) 314-8247 or 1-866-246-5262 (toll free)
Email: communications.FLSCcsf@ontario.ca
FRENCH LANGUAGE COMMISSIONER ASKS FRANCO-ONTARIAN COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE RENEWAL OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES
TORONTO, May 31, 2011 – Ontario’s French Language Services Commissioner,
François Boileau, is asking the Franco-Ontarian community to play an active role in the plans to renew the delivery of government services announced in the last provincial budget. This appeal to Franco-Ontarians represents the first recommendation contained in the Commissioner’s annual report entitled Annual report 2010-2011: A shared engagement.
“Franco-Ontarian communities across the province should take a serious look at the best ways of obtaining quality services and offer to provide them on the government’s behalf,” said French Language Services Commissioner, François Boileau.
“But this also means that the government must be prepared to listen and break down the silos between ministries to allow for the genuine development of Francophone communities.”
In his annual report, the Commissioner also appeals to municipalities that already provide French-language services. Commissioner Boileau urges them to have the political courage to adopt bylaws to protect these services.
“Such measures not only contribute to the survival and development of the Franco-Ontarian community, but they also ensure that the delivery of French-language services doesn’t hinge on the political goodwill of the current municipal council,” said the Commissioner.
“The time to act is now,” stressed Commissioner Boileau.
As well as providing an assessment of results obtained by the Commissioner’s Office in partnership with numerous complainants, the FLSC’s annual report includes:
a recommendation to amend the Electricity Act to ensure that the Ontario Power Authority, Hydro One, Ontario Power Generation and all future entities be subject to the French Language Services Act insofar as programs, services and communications targeting the general public are concerned;
a recommendation to ensure that Franco-Ontarians have at their disposal, in French, all required information to fully participate in the province’s waste reduction, reuse and recycling programs; and
a recommendation to guarantee the availability of day treatment education programs for Francophone teens with behavioural disorders.
QUICK FACTS
In March 2011, the Government of Ontario announced its intention to reform the way it delivers public services and the creation of the Commission on Broader Public Sector Reform.
There are already several existing partnerships with Francophone organizations that offer excellent services on behalf of the government.
More than half of municipalities that are members of the Association française des municipalités de l’Ontario (AFMO) do not have a bylaw or a policy on French-language services despite the fact that over 80% of AFMO members offer services in French.
Once a municipality adopts a French-language services bylaw, its citizens may turn to the Commissioner’s Office for help if they receive inadequate services.
The Commissioner’s Office conducted an investigation regarding Ontario Power Authority’s saveONenergy campaign following the province-wide distribution of 5,000,000 money-saving coupon booklets in English only.
The French Language Services Act applies to government agencies that had the majority of its members or directors appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council — which is not the case for agencies under the Electricity Act.
Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO) is an organization mandated by the Government of Ontario to develop and administer reduction, reuse and recycling programs.
Because of WDO’s English-only services, Francophones do not have access to information that would allow them to fully participle in waste diversion programs.
While Francophone students between the ages of 6 and 12 who live in the Toronto area have access to day treatment education programs in French, this not the case for youth aged 13 to 18.
The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner is an agency of the Ontario Government that is responsible for ensuring compliance with the French Language Services Act. This Act was adopted unanimously by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in November 1986. The Commissioner’s Office and the position of Commissioner were created in September of 2007.
LEARN MORE
You can access our annual report online at www.flsc.gov.on.ca in the PUBLICATIONS section.
Gyula Kovacs, Public Relations and Communications Officer
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner
Phone: (416) 314-8247 or 1-866-246-5262 (toll free)
Email: communications.FLSCcsf@ontario.ca