What is the name of the first Francophone community in British Columbia?

• A. Maillardville
• B. Okanagan Falls
• C. Saint-Jean
• D. Lillooet

Answer: (A)

Maillardville is the first Francophone community in British Columbia. It formed in the early 20th century around Fraser Mills, the lumber operation near the Coquitlam area, when French‑speaking workers from Quebec and other parts of Canada settled there. The settlement grew into a distinct Francophone enclave, named after a popular French‑Canadian foreman, François Maillard, and it established the institutions that kept the language and culture alive—schools, a church, and community organizations. This makes Maillardville the earliest sustained Francophone community in the province. The other places listed are not known for that distinction and did not originate as BC’s first Francophone community.