Centre Francophone De Thunder Bay

What Centre Francophone De Thunder Bay does

Centre Francophone de Thunder Bay (legal name: Coopérative du Centre francophone de Thunder Bay Inc.) is a non-profit, multi-partner cooperative incorporated in Ontario on March 10, 2000, that owns and operates a community building at 234 Van Norman Street in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is jointly owned by seven francophone member organizations — AFNOO, Club culturel francophone de Thunder Bay, Centr'Elles, Féminin Pluri-Elles, Novocentre, Accueil francophone de Thunder Bay, and the Northern Ontario Francophone Wellness Network (RMEFNO) — each of which co-locates in the building and delivers services to the francophone minority population of Northwestern Ontario (spanning Thunder Bay, Ignace, Dryden, Kenora, and Red Lake).

The cooperative's core offerings include: (i) venue rentals of the Claudette Gleeson Community Hall (capacity up to 130) and the Novocentre Room (capacity up to 50) for francophone events; (ii) bilingual professional services in accounting (bookkeeping, payroll, tax filing, budgeting) and communications (writing, visual creation, social media management) targeted at francophone community organizations and small businesses; (iii) cooperative services delivered via the seven member organizations covering integration/employability, health interpretation, literacy/DALF training, women's services, senior support, and newcomer reception; and (iv) community programs such as the Artiste en herbe cultural project, the Liens communautaires pour les personnes isolées outreach initiative, the annual Franco-Festival, and the adjacent Résidence Coopérative de la Baie du Tonnerre housing project. Membership is structured at $20/year for individuals and $100/year for associated organizations, with members receiving up to $2,000,000 in event insurance coverage.

The business model is a hybrid of (a) modest self-generated revenue (membership dues, room rental fees, professional services billed by quote) and (b) substantial public-sector grant funding. Disclosed funding since 2021 includes six discrete grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, FedNor (via AFO), and the AFO Francophone NPO Relief Fund — totaling roughly $365,800 in operating grants — plus approximately $700,000 in 2021 capital renovation funding jointly from the federal and provincial governments, and a $156,244 FedNor grant dated July 17, 2025. The organization is led by Claudette Gleeson (Présidente) and operates with a small team of 1–10 employees; it has no parent company, no external investors, and does not pursue commercial scale. Distribution is place-based (the physical centre) supplemented by virtual program delivery, with marketing through the bilingual centrefranco.ca website, an email newsletter, the @ccftbay Facebook page, the Franco-Festival, and earned media coverage in Radio-Canada, TB News Watch, and ONFR.

Name

Centre Francophone De Thunder Bay

Legal name

Coopérative du Centre francophone de Thunder Bay Inc.

Website

https://centrefranco.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Centre Francophone de Thunder Bay is a non-profit cooperative, founded in 2000 and co-owned by seven francophone organizations, that operates a community hub in Thunder Bay, Ontario, delivering French-language venue rentals, bilingual accounting and communications services, cultural programs, and outreach to the francophone minority across Northwestern Ontario.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Centre Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Mixed-Use Community Association Management (BPAJAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

Keywords

• Community centre services
• Event hall rentals
• Francophone community hub
• Cooperative space management
• Nonprofit community programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Thunder Bay

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees charged to individuals ($20/year) and associated organizations ($100/year). Members receive access to room rental insurance coverage (up to $2,000,000), event benefits, and participation in the cooperative's mission.
2. Room / Hall Rentals: The centre rents out two halls — the Claudette Gleeson Community Hall (capacity up to 130 people) and the Novocentre Room (capacity up to 50 people) — for francophone events. Rental rates are published in a fee schedule. Kitchen rental is available by contacting the facilities manager.
3. Accounting and Communications Services: The centre offers accounting services (bookkeeping, payroll, tax filing, budgeting) and communications services (writing, visual creation, social media management, communication strategy planning) to community organizations and small businesses in French.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Coopérative Centre francophone de Thunder Bay operates a community centre building in Thunder Bay, Ontario, co-owned by seven francophone member organizations. It rents community halls (Claudette Gleeson Community Hall and Novocentre Room), offers bilingual accounting and communications services to community organizations and small businesses, runs community programs targeting isolated Francophones, and organizes the annual Franco-Festival. The cooperative generates revenue through membership fees, facility rentals, professional services, and government grants.

Product overview

Centre Francophone De Thunder Bay is a multi-partner cooperative (Coopérative Centre francophone de Thunder Bay Inc.) that owns and operates the Centre francophone building in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The organization provides a portfolio of services including room rentals (Claudette Gleeson Community Hall and Novocentre Room), accounting and communication services for community organizations, and Coop Services delivered by seven partner organizations covering integration, employability, health interpretation, literacy, health services, violence support, and senior services. Its community programs include the Artiste en herbe cultural project, the Community Links for Isolated People initiative, and the Thunder Bay Cooperative Residence housing project. The cooperative also manages individual and organizational membership programs and organizes the annual Franco-Festival.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Franco-Festival: Annual festival celebrating Francophone culture in Thunder Bay, organized by the cooperative.
• Artiste en herbe
• Liens communautaires pour les personnes isolées

Products and services

• Claudette Gleeson Community Hall Rental The primary community hall at the Centre francophone available for rental, with a capacity of up to 130 people depending on layout. Named after Claudette Gleeson, the president of the cooperative.
• Novocentre Room Rental

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported seven francophone organizations and hundreds of community members across Northwestern Ontario with French-language services and programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AFNOO – Association des francophones du Nord-Ouest de l'OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2023AFNOO is the centre's founding member and primary community partner. It co-developed and co-hosts events including the Franco-Festival, Open Day celebrations, and community programs. AFNOO serves as the first point of contact for the francophone community and works with over 20 member organizations.
• Centr'EllescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2023Centr'Elles (Centre des femmes francophones du Nord-Ouest de l'Ontario) is a member and tenant of the cooperative. It partnered with the centre for International Cooperative Day Open Day (June 2023), art workshops, and community programming targeting francophone women.
• Conseil de la coopération de l'OntariominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2023The Ontario Cooperative Council partnered with the centre for the International Cooperative Day Open Day celebration on June 29, 2023, promoting cooperative values.
• NovocentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2023Novocentre is a founding member and tenant of the cooperative, co-hosting the Claudette Gleeson Community Hall and partnering on community programs. It also offers French-language training programs that complement the centre's community outreach mission.
• Coopérative d'habitation de la Baie du Tonnerre (Thunder Bay Cooperative Residence)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023A separate housing cooperative incorporated in 2012, linked to the centre's original development plans for a low-cost housing cooperative for francophone seniors. The centre continues to support this related entity, and a market study was published in 2023.
• Yuk Sem Won (Professional Artist)minorOthers · 4 August 2020Professional painter Yuk Sem Won led the Artiste en herbe virtual painting workshops as the primary instructor, mentoring amateur artists from Northwestern Ontario via Zoom.
• Nadia Faivre (Professional Artist)minorOthers · 1 January 2020Professional artist Nadia Faivre curated and produced the virtual exhibition showcasing works from the Artiste en herbe 2020 program.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Maison de la Francophonie d'Ottawa: Francophone community centre in Ottawa that brings together multiple francophone organizations in a shared facility. Comparable multi-stakeholder co-location model serving the National Capital region's Francophone community.
• Centre francophone du Grand Toronto: Multi-tenant Francophone community centre serving the Greater Toronto Area, offering comparable room rentals, member services, and community programming for French-speaking populations. Directly comparable operating model as a shared francophone hub, though operating in a much larger urban market.
• Carrefour francophone de Sudbury: Northern Ontario francophone community hub providing similar venue rentals, cultural programming, and member services. Closest geographic peer given shared Northern Ontario context and similar Francophone-minority community served.
• La Cité francophone (Edmonton): Multi-tenant francophone community centre in Alberta that co-locates francophone organizations and offers cultural programming, venue rentals, and member services under one roof. Highly comparable model as a co-located francophone community hub.
• Centre francophone de Hamilton: Ontario-based francophone community centre providing cultural, linguistic, and community services. Comparable scope and service mix in a smaller Ontario city, similar minority-language community context.

Emerging players

• Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA): National umbrella for francophone community organizations across Canada. Not a direct peer but operates in the same francophone-community infrastructure space and shares policy and funding advocacy objectives.
• Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario (AFO): Provincial umbrella organization that funds and supports francophone community organizations across Ontario, including the Centre francophone de Thunder Bay. Operates in the same ecosystem as a funder/convener rather than direct competitor.

Others

• Société franco-ontarienne d'histoire et de musées (SOFOM): Franco-Ontarian heritage and museum organization supported by similar government grants and serving similar community-development objectives. Adjacent thematically as a Franco-Ontarian nonprofit ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ccftbay

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centre Francophone De Thunder Bay