French-only signage at fashion retailer not such a big deal
There was mixed reaction on social media to the news that fashion retailer Simons has opened a store at the Fairview Pointe-claire shopping centre with French-only signage.
Simons, which invested $26.5 million to open its 91,000-squarefoot West Island location, announced it is keeping with its practice of posting French-only signs in its Quebec stores.
Some detractors might think the Gazette is fanning the flames of language tensions simply by mentioning Simons will have French-only signs. However, La Maison Simons CEO Bernard Leblanc acknowledged the issue and noted that all product information is available in English through the retailer's app or website. As well, its Fairview staff is able to serve customers in English if so desired.
It remains to be seen if this approach will be a success in the West Island. Not everybody has the technological means and know-how to use an app while shopping at a brick-and-mortar store, but Simons' goods are clearly marketed to an affluent demographic that is likely to have smartphone access.
Some anglophones might think it's disrespectful to not post signs in English (alongside French ones) in the West Island, where all demerged cities, with the exception of Ste-anne-de-bellevue, and the Pierrefonds-roxboro borough have official bilingual status as set by Bill 101. Of course, this designation relates to municipalities being permitted to officially communicate with residents in English, for purposes such as bilingual property tax bills.
Under Quebec's language laws, now being updated by the Coalition Avenir Québec government, commercial signs can have English wording as long as the French equivalent is predominant.
As pointed out by Gazette columnist Allison Hanes this week, an era of relative language peace has ended with Bill 96, which aims to reinforce French, and also curtails access to some English services. Several protests against the bill have been held, including one at John Abbott College last Thursday.
I advocate for bilingual and multilingual signage as much as possible, such as the “welcome” messages in dozens of languages on the storefront window at Swiss Vienna Pastry. This Pointeclaire shop should be celebrated for promoting inclusivity.
However, I don't envision French-only signs at a high-end fashion outlet becoming an especially notable issue in the West Island, as there are more significant consequences of Bill 96 to fight.