Discovering Ontario · Drawing 24 of 32
The Franco-Ontarian Flag
Sudbury
In 1975, in Sudbury, the Franco-Ontarian flag was raised for the first time. The side next to the pole has a white fleur-de-lis on green; the other side has a green trillium on white.
Did you know?
The fleur-de-lis stands for French-speaking people. The trillium, a flower with three petals, stands for Ontario.
Look together
Can you draw the fleur-de-lis and the trillium, then colour the flag green and white?
An idea to try
Make up a flag for your family with two symbols that matter to you.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The Franco-Ontarian flag was first raised on September 25, 1975, at the University of Sudbury. Historian Gaétan Gervais and Michel Dupuis were among its creators. The fleur-de-lis stands for the Francophonie and the French presence in Ontario; the trillium, Ontario’s floral emblem, roots the community in the province. In 2001, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario recognized it as the emblem of Ontario’s French-speaking community. In 2020, it was also recognized as an emblem of Ontario. Since 2010, September 25 has been Franco-Ontarian Day. The drawing shows a simple imagined scene; it does not reproduce the 1975 event.
The flag is left completely empty for the child to draw the fleur-de-lis and the trillium, then colour it green and white. The book does not reproduce the flowers or the dividing line. Look together at the side next to the pole and the other side of the flag. The extra activity is to make up a family flag with two symbols that matter to you.
Sources and illustration notes (3)
The flag is left completely empty, without a fleur-de-lis, trillium or dividing line, for the child to draw. The people are imagined; this scene does not reconstruct the first flag-raising in 1975.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia — Franco-Ontarian FlagHistory and symbols of the Franco-Ontarian flag.
- Ontario Heritage Trust — The Franco-Ontarian FlagFirst raised on September 25, 1975, at the University of Sudbury; fleur-de-lis for the Francophonie, trillium for Ontario; emblem recognized in 2001; Day proclaimed in 2010.
- Franco-Ontarian Emblem Amendment Act, 2020Since 2020, the flag has also been an emblem of Ontario.
Page prepared on October 22, 2026. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
This drawing is from the book My Ontario to Colour
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