Message on the occasion of the death of Mrs. Gisèle Lalonde

Vanier, July 27, 2022: The Vanier Community Association and its Francophonie Committee would like to express their sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Ms. Gisèle Lalonde. If the entire Franco-Ontarian community is in mourning, Vanier salutes this great pillar of Vanier born in Eastview (now Vanier). A pioneering if ever there was one, Ms. Lalonde was the first executive director of the Centre franco-ontarien de ressources pédagogiques founded in 1974, the first woman mayor of Vanier from 1985 to 1991, and founder and leader of the Association française des municipalités d’Ontario from 1989 to 1991. Her name will be forever engraved in the legal case of the Montfort Hospital, threatened with closure by the provincial government of Mike Harris. Francophones in Canada and elsewhere were challenged by her appeal: “Montfort, fermé, jamais! (Montfort, closed, never)!” in front of a crowd of 10,000 activists, one of the great moments in the history of Ontario’s Francophonie. The Vanier Community Association and its Francophonie Committee will continue to be inspired by the incredible contribution of this great Vanieroise in their volunteer commitment. “Gisèle Lalonde, oubliée, jamais! (Gisèle Lalonde, forgotten, never!)”