‘It’s a brand name’: Why a Quebec business feels targeted by language inspectors

Lynda Bouvier feels inspectors astatine Quebec’s connection agency are overreacting to nan sanction of her company.

Bouvier is nan laminitis and president of Party Expert, a well-known costume and statement accessory unit shop that has been successful business for much than 20 years but is abruptly successful nan crosshairs of l’Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) for its registered name.

“It’s a marque name, it’s a trademark, it’s a registered trademark. They challenged america already and now they’re challenging america again,” Bouvier told Global News.

Bouvier says nan OQLF challenged her company’s sanction 10 years agone but she sewage a certificate of compliance. Now nan rumor is resurfacing again.

“I consciousness that nan Quebec authorities is letting down companies for illustration myself. We’re Quebec-based,” she said.

The rumor began erstwhile Bouvier applied for a licence pinch nan City of Brossard for caller signage astatine nan company’s early shop successful nan Dix30 shopping district.

In a property release, Brossard officials wrote that they recommended Bouvier verify pinch nan OQLF earlier immoderate licence is issued and that’s erstwhile nan problems started for Bouvier.

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She says nan OQLF is now readying a afloat connection audit of her full institution adjacent week.

“I find that they’re invading nan measurement I do business,” she said.

As of June 1, 2025, French descriptors will person to beryllium predominant connected each exterior commercialized signs if nan company’s sanction is successful immoderate different connection different than French.

No 1 from nan OQLF replied to a Global News petition for an interview.

Bouvier has nary plans to alteration nan company’s sanction and still hopes she tin get nan motion licence successful clip to unfastened her caller shop successful Brossard for nan engaged Halloween season.