Montreal’s Pub Burgundy Lion ‘ordered’ by OQLF to update sign with French words

The co-owner of Montreal’s Pub Burgundy Lion in the Sud-Ouest borough is calling out Quebec’s language watchdog, the OQLF, for “ordering” the business to change their sign.

Toby Lyle is denouncing the OQLF’s call to “immediately correct” the sign that reads: Pub Burgundy Lion.

“They’re saying that it’s not French enough, there needs to be more French words on the sign,” he said. “I’m maintaining that ‘Pub,’ ‘Lion’ and ‘Burgundy’ – Burgundy being a place name – they’re all French.”

“The sign’s been there for 17 years, we opened in 2008, it’s never been a problem before,” he added.

Lyle says his sign is rooted in the history of the neighbourhood: Little Burgundy.

“Anyone who’s local and comes to the establishment calls it Little Burgundy,” Lyle said. “Petite-Bourgogne is the official name in the books, but no one who lives in this neighbourhood calls it Petite-Bourgogne.”

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.

“Most of the things we changed were on the website, small little issues on the website,” said Lyle. “I was happy to change them really because I strive to be as bilingual as possible.”

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.”

“I get that that this is the law — we are doing everything we can to adhere to the law,” said Lyle.

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. After submitting the response, he says the OQLF told him that the sign must change.

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.

The Office québécois de la langue française tells CityNews in a statement: “Pub Burgundy Lion is registered with the Office and has begun its francization process. As part of this process, a visit was conducted by the advisor assigned to the file. This visit is part of the personalized support offered by the Office. Discussions have been initiated with the company.”

The OQLF says that the analysis of the file is still ongoing and there has been no final decision on the compliance of the sign.

“The Office is continuing to analyze the file and support the company in its francization process.”

“I would be remiss if I had just accepted and changed the sign,” said Lyle. “I feel like it’s doing a disservice to the community of Little Burgundy and doing a disservice to us as a business, so I have to push back on this.”