Montreal pub Ye Olde Orchard ordered to add French to its sign

A Montreal pub located in a majority-Anglophone neighbourhood is speaking out after it was ordered to modify its storefront sign because of a lack of French. Ye Olde Orchard, stationed on Monkland Avenue in the N.D.G. borough, received a letter from Quebec's French-language watchdog (OQLF) earlier this week stating the pub does not comply with the province's signage rules.

A Montreal pub located in a majority-Anglophone neighbourhood is speaking out after it was ordered to modify its storefront sign because of a lack of French.

Ye Olde Orchard, stationed on Monkland Avenue in the N.D.G. borough, received a letter from Quebec's French-language watchdog (OQLF) earlier this week stating the pub does not comply with the province's signage rules.

Quebec law requires any business with an English-only trademark to include some presence of French when displaying said trademark in a permanent location.

One way this requirement can be met is by including a French descriptor -- think "Café Starbucks" instead of "Starbucks Coffee."

"Right now we could get away with adding little subtitles to it, either putting 'pub' in front or putting French language in the forefront," pub owner Joe Pilotte told CTV News.

But Ye Olde Orchard's sign says just that: Ye Olde Orchard. There's no English descriptor present, let alone a French one.

It's not the first time Pilotte has been contacted by the OQLF. He's complied with their requests in the past, such as by altering certain public signage and ads.