Nearly 1,000 Quebec Businesses Forced to Change Signs Under New French Language Law

At a Glance

• 🪧 What happened: Nearly 1,000 Quebec businesses have changed their storefront signs since June 2025, when new rules under Bill 96 required French wording to dominate any non-French names or trademarks.
• 💰 Money talks: The language watchdog’s (OQLF) budget has doubled to $49 million, funding more inspections and secret-shopper-style compliance checks.
• 📬 Warnings piling up: Over 2,200 warning letters and 2,050 public complaints were logged in the rules’ first year alone.
• ⚖️ First real consequences: Two businesses have been referred to prosecutors — the most serious enforcement step so far, though no fines have landed yet.

Records obtained by the Montreal Gazette through an access-to-information request show that the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) was informed of nearly 1,000 sign changes since a tougher French-language signage rule took effect in June 2025. That number is almost certainly an undercount, since businesses aren’t required to report sign changes to the agency at all. The New Rule Since June 2025, any business displaying a non-French company name or trademark on an exterior sign must pair it with French wording that is “markedly predominant” — generally meaning the French text needs roughly double the visual impact of the other language. It’s a major jump from the previous 2016-era standard, which only required a “sufficient presence” of French — a much easier bar to clear. The change comes from Bill 96, the sweeping 2022 overhaul of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101), designed to reinforce French as the dominant language of commerce and public life in the province. Who’s Affected The impact has been sweeping. At a Canadian Tire in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, the English name was stripped from the streetside sign entirely, leaving only the red triangle and maple leaf logo. The list of affected businesses reads like a cross-section of Quebec’s entire commercial landscape — Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot, Old Navy, Holiday Inn, Home Hardware, A&W, Burger King, Dairy Queen, McDonald’s, Tim Hortons and Bell all appear. But it’s not just the multinationals. Twenty-six businesses with “barber” in the name, six using “cut,” and 15 gyms using “fitness” all made changes. South Asian, Chinese, and Korean restaurants, Middle Eastern butcher shops, Latin American food businesses, kosher retailers and bubble tea chains were also swept up. Even Québecor Média — the company behind TVA and Le Journal de Montréal, controlled by former PQ leader Pierre Karl Péladeau — appears on the list. Enforcement Is Ramping Up The province isn’t just writing rules — it’s funding the muscle behind them. The OQLF’s annual budget has doubled to $49 million under the CAQ government, paying for more inspections and secret-shopper-style compliance sweeps. That funding is translating into action: in the first 12 months after the rule took effect, the OQLF screened 2,050 public complaints and sent out 2,213 warning letters to businesses. The Penalties Fines for confirmed violations aren’t small — ranging from $3,000 to $30,000 per day, doubling or tripling for repeat offences. The OQLF itself can’t issue fines directly; that decision falls to Quebec’s Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions. So far, two businesses have been referred to prosecutors — the most serious enforcement step taken under the new rules. Neither case has resulted in a conviction or fine yet. If prosecutors move forward, the businesses would be served a statement of offence and could either plead guilty and pay, or contest the charge in court. Pushback From Business Groups The Retail Council of Canada has complained that businesses weren’t given enough time to adapt, noting that changing physical signage is often a slow, complicated process requiring municipal permits or landlord approval — and many companies wanted to confirm changes with the OQLF before acting, adding further delay. — Reporting based on Montreal Gazette investigation and OQLF records obtained via access-to-information request.