Sudbury – Hundreds of people gathered today at Collège Boréal’s main campus to witness the official unveiling of a monument dedicated to the franco-ontarian community, a project initiated by this French-language post-secondary insitution. This event comes within the framework of the Greater Sudbury Francophone Summit.

In the presence of a number of dignitaries including Sudbury M.P., Glenn Thibeault, Nickel Belt M.P.P., France Gélinas, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Office of Francophone Affairs, Daniel Cayen, Mayor of Greater Sudbury, John Rodriguez and Chair of Collège Boréal Board of Governors, Georges Ansell, the President of the Collège Boréal’s Student Association, Robert Essiambre and Mélissa Parent, a third year student in Fish and Wildlife Management raised an impressive franco-ontarian flag measuring 9 metres in length. Its placement, henceforth known as “Notre place”, becomes the focal point for a unifying project unveiled by Collège Boréal President, Denis Hubert..

Dedicated to the Francophones and Francophiles of Greater Sudbury, this project consists of a number of pedestrian walkways around Collège Boréal totalling nearly 4 kilometres in length. This trail includes heritage, cultural, historical and environmental facets. Among the different sections envisioned includes a portion aimed at receiving works of art from franco-ontarian artists (six of which are already in Collège Boréal’s collection), an outdoor laboratory designed to study the natural ecosystem of Junction Creek, as well as a terrace or lookout, with a panoramic view of the Flour Mill, City Centre and New Sudbury. Truly a heritage project open to the entire community, this initiative could quite easily become a major tourist attraction for the City of Greater Sudbury, as well as a learning destination of choice for Collège Boréal’s school and university partners.

“This is an historical day for Collège Boréal and for all Francophones who live in minority situations across Canada.” states Denis Hubert, President of Collège Boréal. « Asserting our pride to speak French and to practice our culture is an unalienable right which can, as proven here, be exercised in harmony within the context of the cultural diversity of our towns and our country. This community project is a testament to that end.”

Mayor of Greater Sudbury, John Rodriguez, when invited to speak at the event, underlined the importance of his fellow French language citizens: “Collège Boréal’s energy and dynamic spirit contribute tremendously to the prosperity of our community. Because of the vitality and diversity of the entire French community, the City of Sudbury enjoys a multi-skilled, highly qualified labour force, and attracts a number of provincial and national events that have had not only economic benefits, but have also added to the prestige of being a Sudburian.”

The President of Collège Boréal took advantage of the occasion to launch a contest aimed at finding a name for the walking trail unveiled today. With details to be released soon, this initiative is open to all students of public and catholic school boards of the Greater Sudbury region. The winner and name selected for the trail will be announced during the Semaine de la francophonie which will take place during the month of March 2009.

Today’s event also acknowledges the first artist invited to submit a sculpture for the cultural facet of the walking trail. Originally from Matachewan, Colette Jacques is a multi-disciplinary artist who now resides in Larder Lake and whose more than twenty year career has taken her to the major centres in the province and to New York. The sculpture is scheduled to arrive sometime before next summer.

About Collège Boréal:
Established in 1995, Collège Boréal is a French-language institution of postsecondary and skills training that contributes to the development of communities in Northern and Central-Southwestern Ontario. For the last 6 years, Boréal has had the highest graduation rate among the 24 colleges of applied arts and technology of Ontario and is also ranked in first place for employer satisfaction, according to the Key Performance Indicators released on an annual basis by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Collège Boréal is the first education sector representative officially designated by the Ontario government under the French Language Services Act.


Benoît Clément
Manager, Strategic Communications
Collège Boréal
705-560-6673, extension 1235
benoit.clement@borealc.on.ca