OMG talk about ludicrous, petty and childish!

[SerendipityCrafts]

Our provincial government is making us look like idiots again! Now, an Irish pub isn't even allowed to look like an Irish pub!

McKibbin's Irish Pub on Bishop St. downtown is too English for Quebec's language police.
McKibbin's, with its dark beams, warm fireplace and colourful Gaelic decorative touches, has been popular with the Concordia University crowd since it opened 10 years ago.
But the Office québécois de la langue française has suddenly noticed the antique English-language advertisments on the pub's walls and wants them removed.

It objects specifically to vintage ads that say such things as "Guinness Dublin 1759," "Ireland Trademark," "Cudthromach Aire," "Eat Palethorpes pork pies fresh today" and "Guinness Extra Stout, Draught & Bottled St. James Gate, Dublin" and "Caffrey's Cream."
Many of the signs - some hand-carved, some painted on tin - were acquired in Ireland by the owners of McKibbin's to give the bar an authentic Irish atmosphere.

Quebec's language watchdog is forcing an Irish pub in Montreal to remove its antique advertising posters.

The owners of McKibbins Irish Pub say they received a notice from the Office de la langue francaise stating several signs inside their downtown pub contravene the province's language laws.

But the owners say the posters are simply decor and do not advertise anything the pub is selling.

The pub could face fines as high as $1,500 for each infraction.

Pieces of paper inscribed with a French translation have been placed over the offending posters.

The owners say they plan to launch a website to protest the order (http://byebyeolf.com/).

http://www.mckibbinsirishpub.com/wi/images/peek_anim_wi.gif

The next thing they are going to want is for commercial businesses in our China town, to remove all their chinese only decorations. Ludicrous!

*sigh* .... someone get me out of this place!

[WebLady]

I can almost understand the rule for public signs, but how that they tell a privately owned business what they can put in their place :bbconfused:

Yeah, sounds like I would want to move too :purplex:

[SerendipityCrafts]

LOL well that's a first .... I wrote my premier (the equivalent of a state senator)

My comments are regarding the OLF and their recent harassment of McKibbons Pub, Montreal, for having English decor. How petty and ludicrous this is!

What is next? Will the OLF blaze into China town and demand that the commercial establishments there, remove their Chinese decor?!

When will this government stand up for the minority English? We Anglos might as well relocate to other provinces because, the government does not represent us. The jobs and corporate head offices are also not here any longer.

I respectfully suggest that you stop taking my vote for granted because I happen to speak English. Further, I would also suggest that you look to New Brunswick for guidance re: living billingually in harmony!

*I feel a bit better now .... not much but a bit better*

[TangoWedding]

Language laws? :purplex: That sounds a tad scary to me. What all does that entail?

[SerendipityCrafts]

Language laws? :purplex: That sounds a tad scary to me. What all does that entail?

It all began as a way to "preserve" the French language here in Quebec however all it has done is stir the pot. 100's of thousands of English speaking Quebecers have moved out of the province. Small business owners have been harassed and put out of business because they could not fight the government.

The French and the English get along fine. Our kids play on the same ball teams. We work at the same places. We shop at the same places. Most all of us speak both languages (at least in Montreal) but when the gov. get's their hands on things, it just turns things to pot. All it does is pit neighbour against neighbour.

It was quiet for a while but the OLF resurfaced because places like this Irish pub have the audacity to hang English only old advertising posters in their establishments.

The rules? Ohhhhhhhhhh there are many ..... here are just a few

Signs on the outside of establishments & businesses must be French only

English is permitted inside so long as it's accompanied by French and it is 1/3 the size of the English.

Road signs are in French only.

Any type of retail packaging must have French (could be bilingual).

Customers must be addressed in French first.

Websites must include French (even if the customer's are located outside of the province and speak English)

A person can make an unsubstantiated anonymous complaint against a business and the OLF will swoop in (it almost exclusively follows up on complaints from the public), regulate and then fine them $1500 for each infraction.

Businesses with 50 employees or more must have a francisization certificate proving internal, external literature complies. A certain % of their employees must have the ability to speak French.

Bill 101, the sweeping language law passed in the 1970s, contains other provisions including controversial restrictions on English signs.

The law also forces immigrants who attend public schools to so do in French, and the legislation limits francophone access to English public schools. Private schools are not covered by the law.

Many provisions of Bill 101 have been ruled unconstitutional over the years, including those mandating French-only commercial signs, court proceedings and debates in the legislature.

The report by the language watchdog expressed particular concern about the use of English among workers in Montreal, a city where English speakers comprise roughly one-third of the population.

"Immigrant workers use English and French nearly equally at work," said the report.

"Bill 101 specifies that French is the language of the workplace in Quebec."

[TangoWedding]

My goodness.

I understand wanting to preserve the language, but good lord...isn't the fact that people are speaking it enough?? Wow.

That really stinks. It sucks when the government overdoes stuff like that.

[Nekochanpurr]

Wow, thats stupid. :( I hope the pub wins!

[hummingbird521]

Horse country is sounding better and better all the time I bet?

[gennymac]

What a way to kill any tourist traffic and future business entries into the area. I'd be very very scared and concerned about a government that wants to inflict this kind of restrictions on 'common language' - remember what happened in Scotland when all the gaelic was banned and traditional forms of apparel - but having said that, I constantly write to my congressman/senators about trying to ban spanish every where.

Short sighted ignorant officials. Scary.

Gen

It all began as a way to "preserve" the French language here in Quebec however all it has done is stir the pot. 100's of thousands of English speaking Quebecers have moved out of the province. Small business owners have been harassed and put out of business because they could not fight the government.

The French and the English get along fine. Our kids play on the same ball teams. We work at the same places. We shop at the same places. Most all of us speak both languages (at least in Montreal) but when the gov. get's their hands on things, it just turns things to pot. All it does is pit neighbour against neighbour.

It was quiet for a while but the OLF resurfaced because places like this Irish pub have the audacity to hang English only old advertising posters in their establishments.

The rules? Ohhhhhhhhhh there are many ..... here are just a few

Signs on the outside of establishments & businesses must be French only

English is permitted inside so long as it's accompanied by French and it is 1/3 the size of the English.

Road signs are in French only.

Any type of retail packaging must have French (could be bilingual).

Customers must be addressed in French first.

Websites must include French (even if the customer's are located outside of the province and speak English)

A person can make an unsubstantiated anonymous complaint against a business and the OLF will swoop in (it almost exclusively follows up on complaints from the public), regulate and then fine them $1500 for each infraction.

Businesses with 50 employees or more must have a francisization certificate proving internal, external literature complies. A certain % of their employees must have the ability to speak French.

[SerendipityCrafts]

What a way to kill any tourist traffic and future business entries into the area.

but having said that, I constantly write to my congressman/senators about trying to ban spanish every where

Montreal is honestly a wonderful city full of european accents and flair. It's not a problem for tourists because most everyone is bilingual. Heck there is a great percentage of people who are trilingual! We have large Greek, Italian and Chinese populations who call Montreal home. It's just difficult to live & make a living here with so much pettiness going on.

The province to the east of us should be modeled. There are no underlying tensions caused by the government because EVERYTHING is in both English AND French. They have a very strong French population in New Brunswick and as far as I know, the language is in no danger of disappearing.

Interesting note .... our culture minister is now backtracking in saying that the OLF was over zealous. English is allowed when it comes to decorations. Hmmmmmmmmm makes me wonder how many complaint letters our gov. leaders received on this topic.