Just off the Georgian Bay, we can find, if we look hard enough, the little French-Canadian community of Lafontaine, on the outskirts of Penetanguishine. There, for generations this community has kept its language and culture, its school, its credit union and its church. For some years now, the people of Lafontaine have organised, each July, the Festival du Loup, named so because, at the beginning of the last century, a wolf came to the village to terrorise the people and their animals. You can read the legend here.

On the 10th of June, I went to the Vulgaires Machins concert in Toronto, during Franco-Fête, where I met Réjean, Marc-André and Samantha who were from Lafontaine and told me about the festival. I knew instantly that I had to get involved and offered to help as a volunteer.

When I arrived in Lafontaine, there were already painted silhouettes of wolves, installed along the main road. On the sidewalks, painted wolf prints.


A sidewalk in Lafontaine.

In the Parish hall, a living museum exhibited the history of four of the village’s families. Everything was ready for the festival to begin. A "conte" was recited and music played by Stéphane Guertin and Jean-Marc Lalonde. For the evening we could hear Chuck Labelle, the Franco-Ontarian Cowboy. On Saturday morning, kiosks of local organisations and artisans were set up, as were games for kids. Throughout the day, music was played on stage. The main act, however, was local boy Damien Robitaille, a singer-songwriter who has hit it big in Québec. It was an unforgettable concert.

Damien Robitalle in concert (photo: David-Marc Newman)

That weekend, allowed me to see a whole community work together - all volunteers- showing us that French-Canadian culture in Ontario is not only kept alive by large associations in Ottawa and Subdury but that there is a living culture, that involves everyone in the community. It may not be as big as the Festival franco-ontarien or Ontario Pop, but there is something absolutely authentic about what goes in Lafontaine. As long as there will be Festivals du Loup, the francophone community in Ontario will be alive and well.