The co-owner of Montreal’s Pub Burgundy Lion in the Sud-Ouest borough is calling out Quebec’s police watchdog, the OQLF, for “ordering” the business to change their sign.
Toby Lyle took to Facebook Tuesday, denouncing the OQLF’s call to “immediately correct” the sign that reads: Pub Burgundy Lion.
“Telling me that our 17-year-old sign, representing our institution and our involvement in the local community, is a step too far. We have been told to update the sign to add French words,” Lyle wrote on social media.
As of June 1, new regulations under Bill 96 through Quebec’s French-language Charter require that French be strongly predominant on all signs and commercial advertising visible to the public, with French text generally occupying at least twice the space of any other language.
Lyle says he is ready and willing to comply with the law — pointing to being proactive regarding other violations outlined by the OQLF.
“Some were legitimate, things we’d overlooked on our website, which I was grateful to have had pointed out to me, and which were changed immediately,” he wrote.
But Lyle says he takes issue with the order, sent to him on July 31, because he maintains that the words “Pub” and “Lion” are French, while “Burgundy” is a proper name, referring to the neighbourhood: Little Burgundy.
On its website, the OQLF writes: “A company name that contains a specific in a language other than French and that appears on a display visible from outside a premises must be accompanied by terms in French – such as a generic, a description or a slogan – which ensure a clear predominance of French.”
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Lyle says he has responded to the OQLF saying that he does not plan to change their sign due to the “historical and cultural significance” of the name. He says he is willing to fight this out of principle.
The OQLF can issue a warning when it comes to non-compliance. If the rules aren’t followed within a specified timeframe, fines between $3,000 and $30,000 can be issued for each day that the offence continues — and even doubled for a second offence and tripled for any additional offence.
CityNews reached out to the Office québécois de la langue française, but did not yet hear back.
