About

Mission

The French Language Health Planning Centre has a mission to ensure that the needs of Ontario's Francophone communities and their sustainable development are proactively considered in all decisions regarding planning, policy, programming, funding and resource allocation in health care, long-term care, health care research, and health and education promotion, including with respect to the following matters:

  • Methods of engaging with the Francophone community.
  • The health needs and priorities of the Francophone community, including the needs and priorities of diverse groups within that community.
  • Health services available to the Francophone community.
  • The identification and designation of health service providers for the provision of French language health services.
  • Strategies to improve access to, accessibility of and integration of French language health services in the health system.
  • The incorporation of the strategies developed under paragraph 5 into the Agency’s health system plans, as appropriate.
  • The implementation of the Agency’s health system plans, and other planning priorities of the Agency, with respect to French language health services.
  • The planning for and integration of health services.

Administrative regulations (French only)

Act and Regulation

French Language Services Act

Ontario’s French Language Services Act guarantees citizens the right to receive government services in French in designated areas. In health care, this means government-funded organizations—such as hospitals or health centres—must provide services in French within these regions. The Act aims to ensure equitable access to care for Francophones, support linguistic safety, and promote their involvement in service planning and delivery. It also provides the legal foundation for the designation of health organizations as providers of French-language services.

Connected Care Act

The 2019 Connected Care Act created an agency, Ontario Health, to coordinate integrated care (hospitals, home care, community care, mental health), with a focus on digital tools and equity. Through the Engagement with the Francophone Community Regulation, the Act requires the participation of the Francophone community in the planning of French-language health services.

History

  • 1997: Creation of the Réseau des services de santé en français de l'Est de l'Ontario in the wake of the Montfort crisis, which brought national attention to the needs of Francophones outside Quebec
  • 1999: Start of activities at the Centre national de formation en santé, coordinated by the University of Ottawa and funded by Canadian Heritage; in 2003, the centre became the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS)
  • 2001: Allan Rock, federal Minister of Health, established an advisory committee on the needs of Francophone minority communities. The committee subsequently submitted its report to the federal Minister of Health, proposing strategies to improve French-language health services across the country.
  • 2001: Establishment of the Table de concertation en santé en Ontario. Recognizing the urgent need to establish Francophone health networks in other regions of Ontario, the Table de concertation, which included representatives from all regions and all sectors of health care, assumed responsibility for launching three new networks in Ontario.
  • 2002: Creation of the Société Santé en français (SSF). An advisory committee entrusted the Société with coordinating initiatives in the areas of networking and service organization.
  • 2003: Three new networks were established in Ontario: the Réseau francophone de santé du Nord de l’Ontario, the Réseau de santé en français du Moyen-Nord de l’Ontario and the Réseau franco-santé du Sud de l’Ontario.
  • 2005: Savoie Report, ‘Health Care Services for Franco-Ontarians: A Roadmap to Better Accessibility and Accountability’ French Language Health Services Working Group
  • 2006: Creation of Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) in the Local Health System Integration Act, which also provides for the creation of French-language health service planning entities.
  • 2009: Special Report of the French Language Services Commissioner on French Language Health Services Planning in Ontario. Publication of regulation 515/09 which sees the official creation of the entities.
  • 2010: Designation by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care of six French-language health service planning entities. Merger of the two northern networks to become the Réseau du mieux-être francophone du Nord de l’Ontario (RMEFNO). The RMEFNO and the Réseau des services de santé en français de l’Est de l’Ontario are among the six designated entities; Entities 1 to 4 are created. The Réseau franco-santé du Sud de l’Ontario is not designated.
  • 2011: Creation of the Regroupement des Entités de planification des services de santé en français and collaboration with the Alliance des réseaux ontariens de santé en français with the aim of collaborating on provincial issues.
  • 2013: First provincial health forum organised by the entities and networks, collaboration between the seven network-entity directors.
  • 2019: Creation of Ontario Health, merger of the 14 LHINs and other provincial agencies
  • 2023: Evaluation of the six French-language health service planning entities
  • 2023: Appointment of a special advisor on French-language services to the CEO of Ontario Health
  • 2025: Evolution of the six provincial entities into a single centre co-created at the request of the Ontario Ministry of Health by the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario and Hôpital Montfort, with eventual designation under the French Language Services Act. The three federal networks are maintained.

Reference Documents

Health Care Services for Franco-Ontarians: A roadmap to better accessibility and accountability Report

This 2005 report by the French Language Health Services Working Group outlines a roadmap to improve the accessibility and quality of French-language health services in Ontario. It recommends recognizing the specific needs of Franco-Ontarians, establishing appropriate regional planning mechanisms, strengthening system accountability to the Francophone population, and ensuring equitable funding. The report emphasizes the importance of training and retaining bilingual staff, collecting reliable language data, and involving Francophone communities in service governance. The overarching goal is to achieve health equity for Francophones while respecting their language rights. 

Special Report on Planning French-language Health Services in Ontario

The 2009 Special Report on Planning French-language Health Services in Ontario, issued by the French Language Services Commissioner, identifies systemic gaps in the active offer of and access to care in French. It calls for structured integration of francophone needs into health-service planning, robust collection and use of linguistic data, inclusive governance with francophone representation, and targeted funding. The report positions linguistic equity as fundamental to care quality, patient safety, and the sustainability of Ontario’s francophone communities.