More than 450 people wished for a bright future at the Université de l'Ontario français (UOF) during its inauguration held November 12 in Toronto. Best wishes were posted across the campus at 9 Lower Jarvis Street as well as on social media while more than 300 people walked the green carpet rolled out for the occasion and more than 150 others joined via UOF's YouTube channel.
The community was treated to a series of speeches including those from the Chair of the UOF's Board of Governors, Ms. Dyane Adam, and UOF President, Mr. Pierre Ouellette.
Ms. Adam spoke of the societal project that the University represents: "UOF belongs to every French speaker in Ontario. It is the result of the hard work and, above all, the resilience of all those who have kept their heads high over the years despite the challenges. With this legacy in hand, the institution can now move forward at its own pace towards success." Mr. Ouellette continued this sentiment when speaking about the future, "I would complete the expression "by and for Francophones" by adding the notion of representation: "by, for and representative of Francophones." For its success to be long-lasting, the Université de l'Ontario français must be the portrait of the community it seeks to serve, and that community is rich in the ethnocultural diversity that makes it up."
Federal and provincial ministers, like the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages, the Honourable Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities, and the Honourable Caroline Mulroney, Ontario Minister of Transportation and Francophone Affairs also had the opportunity to speak.
Artistic performances were featured at the event, including students from the Ontario Centre for Artistic Excellence singing 'O Canada', followed by students from the Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir and the Conseil scolaire Viamonde joining together to sing Notre Place.
Another highlight of the event was a wonderful performance by Franco-Algonquin hoop dancer Makhena Rankin Guérin. This led the public attending the event to discover the gorgeous mural created by Métis graffiti artist from Field, Mique Michelle. This splendid work, which is located at the entrance of the campus, is over 9 meters long and is the very first to adorn the walls of UOF. The artist was given carte blanche to design the piece, which features young Makhena at its center, as well as a hummingbird, a moon and several nods to personalities or events that resonate with her experiences, but also with the struggles that led to the creation of the University. Mique Michelle spent a week in residence using graffiti and urban art techniques to make her piece.
As the conclusion to the inauguration, participants discovered bottles of soap under their seats to blow bubbles and make a wish for UOF before the cutting of the green ribbon closed the University's inauguration event.
Construction
Located at 9 Lower Jarvis Street, the UOF campus was developed over the past 18 months amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The project was completed on schedule allowing the University to welcome its first student cohort on September 7 in the Artscape Daniels Launchpad building. The 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art space is in Toronto's Innovation District on Lake Ontario. Gow Hastings Architects designed the plans, which were completed by construction contractor BDA Inc., while Colliers Project Leaders and The Finlayson Practice oversaw the project.
