The Réseau at a Glance

Who we are

The French Language Health Services Network of Eastern Ontario (RSSFE or Réseau) is a francophone not-for-profit organization, created by and for the community. Since its founding in 1999, the Network has played a key role in improving access to quality health services, offered actively in French, for the region's 260,000 francophones. It was a founding member of the Société Santé en français in 2002, a pan-Canadian movement, and was recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Health between 2010 and 2025 as the French Language Health Services Planning Entity for the Eastern and Southeastern Ontario regions.

The Réseau brings together over 1,400 individual members and 76 corporate members who are part of a community committed to improving health services. Its board of directors is made up of 15 representatives, the majority of whom come from individual members, while also including corporate members representing their respective sectors.

The Réseau acts as a francophone leader in the health field. It engages the francophone community and draws on their experiences and needs to guide health system stakeholders in the active offer of health services in French. It anchors its activities on a vast network of partners who are committed to the well-being of the francophone community in all its diversity. It leverages its expertise in the health system and the evolving francophone reality to identify innovative solutions and guide the planning of French-language services based on evidence and community priorities. Finally, the Réseau helps health service providers in developing and maintaining French-language services, whether they are designated under Ontario's French Language Services Act or not, to enable equitable and quality access to health services in French.

To learn more:

Our History

Nearly 30 years ago, in 1997, a historic mobilization shook Ontario. Thousands of protesters gathered in Ottawa under the SOS Montfort banner to prevent the closure of the province's only French-language academic hospital. This fierce battle, which remains etched in collective memory, paved the way for profound changes in Ontario's health sector, including the creation of the French Language Health Services Network of Eastern Ontario.

At the time, the decision to close Montfort Hospital, a pillar of French-language health services, was seen as a direct threat to francophone rights. But the mobilization of the Franco-Ontarian community turned the situation around. On one hand, the hospital remained open and even thrived. On the other, the French Language Health Services Network of Eastern Ontario was created to ensure that francophones have access to quality French-language health services.

Check out the special features on the 25th anniversary of the Montfort moment:

Our reason for being here

Our Vision

The Réseau plays a leadership role so that Francophones may live healthy lives in French!
 

Our Mission

The Réseau is a Francophone organization that engages the Francophone community in all its diversity and the healthcare system to improve access to a continuum of quality healthcare services actively offered in French.
 
Our Values
  • Collaboration
  • Excellence
  • Diversity
  • Respect
  • Perseverance