Le Carnaval returns and remains vital to the region's Francophone community

Le Carnaval has returned as a community winter festival that began in the 1960s and served as a refuge for Francophones when French high schools were not yet allowed in the region.

Le Carnaval has returned to the region as a local winter festival. The event traces its origins to 1963, when a planned broomball tournament evolved into a broader celebration after community fundraising. At the time, French-language instruction was limited and French high schools were not permitted in the area. Organizers and community members say the festival became a refuge that helped strengthen Francophone identity. Key points: - Le Carnaval began from a broomball tournament in 1963 and developed into a festival through fundraising and community effort. - In the early 1960s, French was not widely taught in local schools and French high schools were not allowed. - École Secondaire Catholique Algonquin in North Bay opened in 1968 and is noted as the region’s first public French-language high school. - Brûlé described Le Carnaval as a refuge and a way to bring joy and to solidify what it meant to be Francophone and to be a community. Summary: The festival’s return highlights its continued cultural role for the region’s Francophone population and its history as a community-building event. Undetermined at this time.