by Stephen Dafoe with files from
Morinville News Staff
Blue, white and pink flags are now flying over municipalities in Alberta as communities began raising the Franco-Albertan flag in honour of Rendez-vous de la Francophonie (RVF), running Mar. 2 to 22.
Morinville gathered Students from multiple schools to witness the hoisting of the Franco-Albertan flag in St. Jean Baptiste Park Thursday at noon.
Jean-Pierre Grenier created the Franco-Albertan flag as an entry in a Francophone Youth of Alberta contest. In March of 1982, the French-Canadian Association of Alberta adopted the design.
The flag has a fleur-de-lys in the upper left corner and a wild rose, the provincial flower of Alberta, in the lower right. The field of blue represents the province, while the white represents the Francophone. The blue and white stripes represent the waters and roads travelled throughout the province by Francophone explorers, settlers, and colonists.
The Town of Morinville, ACFA, Morinville Historical & Cultural Society, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and Vol 4 History partnered for the day’s events.
The contribution of French Canadians to the province and local community began with the flag raising.
It was followed by a performance by Madame Diva (Jocelyne Baribeau) for students at the cultural centre.
Thursday night saw the cultural centre doors open for a French-themed dinner.
Baribeau, 2016 Western Canadian Music Awards Francophone Artist of the Year, provided the entertainment for the evening French heritage event.
Displays of local Francophone history were on display for participants to see.
