What is "franco-ontarian"

Franco-Ontarians ( or Franco-Ontariennes if female) are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois".

According to the 2006 Canadian census, there were 488,815 self-declared francophones in Ontario (declaring one mother tongue), comprising 4.1 per cent of the province's total population. A further 1,000,000 Ontarians self-declared French to be one of multiple mother tongues. According to the subsequent 2011 Canadian census, there were 493,300 self-declared francophones in Ontario (declaring one mother tongue) comprising 3.9% of the province's total population. There were 284,115 Ontarians who declared French as their home language, which represents only 2.2% of the population. Franco-Ontarians constitute the largest French-speaking community in Canada outside of Quebec, as well as the largest minority language group within Ontario.

The francophone population is concentrated in Eastern Ontario, in Ottawa, Cornwall and many rural farming communities, and in Northeastern Ontario, in the cities of Sudbury, North Bay and Timmins and a number of smaller towns. Other communities with notable francophone populations are Lakeshore, Windsor, Penetanguishene and Welland. Most communities in Ontario have at least a few Franco-Ontarian residents.

Ottawa, with 128,620 francophones, has the province's largest Franco-Ontarian community by size. Among the province's major cities, Greater Sudbury, 29 per cent francophone, has the largest proportion of Franco-Ontarians to the general population, and Timmins, 41 per cent francophone, has the largest proportion among the smaller sized cities. Prescott and Russell United Counties has the highest proportion of Franco-Ontarians to the general population among the province's census divisions, with about two-thirds of the population being francophone.

Some smaller communities in Ontario have a francophone majority. These include Hearst, Kapuskasing, Smooth Rock Falls, Embrun, St. Charles, Sturgeon Falls, Rockland, Casselman, Dubreuilville, Vankleek Hill and Hawkesbury.