At the end of this second year of our Strategic Plan 2016-2021, our Réseau is already seeing the positive outcomes of its work at the regional, provincial and national levels. The launch of OZi, our portal for collecting and analyzing data from all LHIN-funded health service providers, is a concrete example of collaborative work – with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the 14 LHINs and the Planning Entities – to improve access to French language health services.

It also plays a pivotal role in achieving our strategic outcomes, namely producing evidence on the offer of French language health services and collaborating with new partners. At the local level, this data will inform decision making on planning French language health services, and support the joint action taken by the Champlain and South East LHINs.

It goes without saying that our Réseau is gaining momentum, and while our 2017-2018 year is characterized by greater reach, that does not mean that we are moving away from our roots. To the contrary, we are seeking – more than ever – to move closer to our members and our community. Therefore, we have started an important exercise to review how we can strengthen our commitment to them.

Finally, I would like to thank our 828 individual members and 73 corporate members, our partners – the Société Santé en français, the Champlain and South East LHINs, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care – as well as the Réseau's CEO and Board of Directors for their support. Together, we help the Réseau provide thought leadership to decision makers and key actors, to improve access to a continuum of quality French language health services in our communities.

Alain-Michel Sékula

MBA, CMC, CAF Honorary Lieutenant Colonel

While the health care system continues its evolution, our Réseau is adapting to these changes and continuing to lay the groundwork to achieve its vision. Therefore, the progress and success that have marked our 2017-2018 year will benefit the Francophone community for years to come.

Our perseverance with regards to designation is bearing fruit: in fact, the data on French language service capacity in the Champlain and South East regions now supports the development and maintenance of the active offer of these services. This information is valuable because it helps us advise the Champlain and South East LHINs on the planning of French language services by sub-region.

Many significant achievements for the Francophone community took place in 2017-2018, and we are proud to have contributed to these outcomes: the publication of the Guide to Requirements and Obligations Relating to French Language Health Services by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the appointment of an assistant deputy minister assigned specifically to French language health services, the integration of linguistic identity data collection into the health card renewal process, the strengthening of the role of the French Language Health Services Planning Entities in the 2018 Ontario Budget, as well as the announcement – by the Ministry of Francophone Affairs – of a review of the designation process.

Nationally, the Réseau will continue to provide leadership to the French language health networks with regards to data collection and analysis. With our experience and expertise, we will play a central role in developing the data strategy of the Société Santé en français for the next five years.

I would like to sincerely thank the team for its hard work and commitment toward French language health services. It is this shared passion that allows us to forge ahead and create, in cooperation with health care stakeholders, the conditions required to improve access to health services for our Francophone community.

Jacinthe Desaulniers