In northern Ontario, official language minority communities are in rural areas. So they are dealing with the challenges we are discussing.
What we are seeing is that these communities are made up of primary industries.
They are like single-resource communities.
This type of economy, which characterizes these communities and is cyclical, is problematic for both francophones and anglophones.
However, we see that our communities are starting to diversify and develop. With the support of programs such as the economic development initiative or the services provided by CFDCs, FedNor encourages the development and diversification of our communities.
Each community has its leaders who are mobilizing. By coming together, they are creating movements that will ensure that the communities survive and flourish.
That is our reality in northern Ontario.