“There are many historic francophone sites around British Columbia which reflect a proud culture and history,” said Dix. “This project celebrates the contributions made by the francophone community and highlights their economic, cultural and social influences.”

The map includes sites like St. Joseph’s Church in Kamloops, built by Oblate Catholic missionaries in the late 19th century, and Moren’s House at Spence’s Bridge, the homestead of French pioneers in B.C.

“The map provides the histories and descriptions of francophone cultural tourism sites and services as well as the imprints and influence of francophone people as they shaped the province,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

The Province has committed to plan and deliver French-language services to enhance the vitality of the francophone community of British Columbia. This includes a recently released French language engagement website.

“People visiting our province, as well as local B.C. travellers, will be able to use the map to locate cultural tourism sites connected to francophone history,” said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

The map is the result of a collaborative effort between several government and non-government agencies, including the Heritage Branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Heritage B.C., Francophone Affairs Program, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the Francophone Economic Development Society and the Francophone Historical Society of B.C.

The cost of the project was $30,000, shared between the Heritage Branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, and the Tourism Branch of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and the Francophone Affairs Program from the Canada-B.C. Official Languages Agreement on French Language Services.

The francophone cultural tourism map can be found online: https://heritagebc.ca/francophone-culture-map/

Province of B.C. francophone engagement website: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/frenchservicesinbc/fr/accueil/

Province of British Columbia Historical Places: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/celebrating-british-columbia/historic-places