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