Quebec business owner says city not granting signage permit over concerns about English word

Read the latest update here: OQLF now says business signage complies with language regulation

The owner of a Quebec-based party supply store is criticizing the City of Brossard for not issuing a signage permit due to concerns about the English word "party."

Lynda Bouvier, the president of Party Expert, called the situation "totally unacceptable."

"It's unreal, I mean, I've been in business for over 20 years, and there's so much we do. We comply with all the demands, which they [Office québécois de la langue française] have a lot. And they just have too much power over business," Bouvier said in an interview.

"It's discouraging… you feel like you want to move elsewhere. To other provinces, where it would be so much easier."

Bouvier, a francophone Quebecer, is opening a new store in the Brossard shopping centre's Quartier Dix30.

She explained that her company submitted a request for a signage permit in May and that last week, the City of Brossard responded by email referencing the new language law, known as Bill 96, and referring her to the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF).

"Our signage company contacted the OQLF to obtain information. And we sent the City of Brossard a certificate that we have for the Party Expert group that the OQLF had issued. We have one every two years renewed," she said.

In a written statement, the City of Brossard confirmed it received the certificate but said that it did not have the authority to refuse a signage request based on compliance with the French language. The city says that it falls under the jurisdiction of the OQLF.

"This information from Party Expert is therefore erroneous; the City never refused the signage request in question. The PIIA (site planning and architectural integration plan) application is, therefore, proceeding normally and will be submitted to the August Municipal Council."

It also said that the request was currently on hold pending a resolution from the council.

Bouvier noted that her company even has a committee that ensures compliance with all French-language requirements.

"But this time they're questioning our brand, our established brand in Quebec. And we sent them the certificate and that was not enough for them to issue the permit," Bouvier said.

Lynda Bouvier is the president of Party Expert, a Quebec-based business that has been operating since 1999. (CTV News)
According to the business owner, the province's language watchdog is currently reviewing the situation and suggested that Party Expert come up with options that could be used to add or modify the name.

"I'm like, no. We've existed for over 20 years. We spent a lot of money building this brand and getting the brand recognized, but there's no way we're going to start doing this," she said.

In a statement to CTV News, the OQLF said that it is not responsible for granting signage permits and does not intervene in the process.

"The Office is responsible for applying the Charter, which sets out rules for public signage. The Office assists businesses and advises them on the changes they need to make to comply with the obligations set out in the Charter, while taking into account other requirements to which businesses are subject, such as municipal bylaws."

Additionally, the Office says that it never requests translations of trademarks.

Moreover, Melissa Tehrani, a lawyer at Gowling WLG specializing in advertising law, told CTV News that the new language law requires businesses to include French slogans, generic terms, or descriptions in French.

It mandates that these French elements must be within the same visual field and occupy at least twice the space of the non-French business name or trademark. 

"I feel like we're doing something wrong all the time," Bouvier said. "And as a Québécois French-speaking person, we comply with all this. We love Quebec. They're creating disadvantages that we have already that are very challenging."

Bouvier, who has invested almost $2 million in the new store, said this experience has made her reconsider expanding her business further in Quebec.