The OQLF Fined A Montreal Restaurant $1,500 For Having English-Only Signage

"Public signs and posters and commercial advertising must be in French."
Staff Writer

A Montreal deli was found guilty of violating Quebec's language laws according to the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF). Deli 365 was fined $1,500 by the OQLF due to "an offence under section 58 of the Charter of the French Language," according to a statement.

The offence was first noted on May 22, 2019. 

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$1,500 Fine For Deli 365

Section 58 of the Charter states that "public signs and posters and commercial advertising must be in French."

"They may also be both in French and in another language provided that French is markedly predominant. However, the Government may determine [...] where public signs and posters and commercial advertising must be in French only."

The OQLF explained that Deli 365's public signage and advertising was only in English.

MTL Blog has reached out to the owners of Deli 365 for comment and will update this article when they provide one. 

Last month, the Quebec government gave the OQLF the green light to expand following a report that showed over 60% of Montreal businesses asked new hires for English skills.

The agency will open new offices in Laval, Longueuil, and Drummondville and hire about 50 more employees.

  • Teddy Elliot
  • Teddy Elliot was a Staff Writer for MTL Blog. He was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec and has a B.A. in Literature. Teddy has been a journalist for three years and was once an English teacher. His creative work has appeared in The Blasted Tree and Parenthetical Magazine. When he's not chasing scoops, Teddy can be found cheering on Aston Villa and listening to 80s power ballads. He was shortlisted for a Digital Publishing Award in 2021.

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