Visit the Monuments to la francophonie

Hawkesbury

Monument location:
Île du Chenail (Chenail Island)
87 John Street
Hawkesbury, Ontario K6A 1Y1

Unveiled : November 28, 2014

Bernard Grandmaître, Honorary President of Monuments de la francophonie d’Ottawa

The Franco-Ontarian Flag

The Franco-Ontarian flag was created in 1975. It consists of two sections; the left section features a white fleur-de-lys (representing la Francophonie) on a green background, and the right section features a green trillium flower (representing Ontario) on a white background. The flag was recognized as an official symbol of Ontario by the Ontario Government in 2001.

The concept

The goal was to build a monument with a huge Franco-Ontarian flag measuring 15 feet by 30 feet on an 80 foot pole surrounded by plaques and information about Franco-Ontarian history. The monument was built on the site of a historic gold mine on the Île du Chenail (Chenail Island).

This monument is unique in that it features two large hands (12 feet by 6.5 feet) that represent Franco-Ontarians and the warm welcome that they offer to everyone around them. They also protect the lys flower, the symbol of la Francophonie. The Franco-Ontarian flag towers above the hands and all the plaques. There are also several statues around the monument representing a family and people of all ages.

There are 13 benches with a maple leaf design around the monument. The benches represent the francophones in each Canadian province and territory.

More information about the Hawkesbury monument can be downloaded in PDF format here.

Organizing committee

The Hawkesbury monument to la Francophonie is a community heritage project that was coordinated by people dedicated to the local francophone community.

Gilles Trahan, President
François Bazinet
Yves Berthiaume
Alain Demers
Nathalie Ladouceur
Anne Laflamme
Bruno Lecot
Odette Charbonneau Legault
André Martel
Lionel Renaud
Sylvain Roy
Yves Saint-Denis
Simon Vinet

Donors

The organizing committee for Hawkesbury’s monument to la Francophonie is grateful to the donors who provided financial aid for this project.