Regulations around commercial messaging in the Province of Quebec have undergone a significant realignment with the enforcement of An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec (also known as Bill 96). This legislation introduced sweeping amendments to the Charter of the French Language, with the most rigorous compliance mandates regarding public signage, trademark use, and digital commercial communications taking effect on June 1, 2025.
Since then, many businesses within the Pontiac have received notifications of non-compliance with the law. This operational guide is designed to help business owners clarify its core requirements; it does not advocate for or defend the legislation. Rather, it serves as a practical compliance framework to protect local enterprises from regulatory liability.
From an operational standpoint, however, we believe that every business should serve customers in the language of their choice. It makes only good business sense to deliver all of your messaging in both official languages.
Operating within the MRC Pontiac presents a unique demographic context. According to 2021 census data, approximately 43% of the MRC Pontiac population speaks only English, while roughly 52% is bilingual. While local business models have historically oriented themselves around this English-speaking majority, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) holds expanded powers of proactive inspection and search, paired with a strict penalty framework.
To safeguard your business, it is essential to understand how these updated statutory standards.
Physical Signage and Corporate Spaces
Under the current regulations, French text must command a significantly greater visual impact within the same visual field.
Storefront Signage
Both registered and unregistered (common law) non-French trademarks are exempt from direct translation on exterior facades, windows, and independent storefront structures—so you can absolutely keep your English business name, “Pontiac Auto Shop.” However, your English name cannot stand alone; it must be accompanied by a French generic descriptor, product description, or slogan that takes up at least twice the visual surface area of the English text.
Because a unilingual English sign is non-compliant, you must add a prominent French term like ATELIER DE RÉPARATION or MÉCANIQUE directly to the storefront layout, ensuring those French words are twice as large as your English name to meet the legal standard.
Interior Signage and Menus
When it comes to the inside of your business, the law draws a sharp line between personal expression and commercial text.
A simple, non-promotional phrase like “Merry Christmas” or “Welcome” posted on a wall is legally classified as a personal greeting, meaning it can remain in English only. However, the moment you display text that describes a service, lists a price, provides instructions, or details a menu—like a “Christmas Lunch Special, $15” sign—it immediately becomes a “commercial publication.”
Under Bill 96, all such indoor business text must be prominently bilingual, with the French version given top priority and at least twice the visual prominence of the English.
Digital Marketing: Websites and Social Channels
Quebec officially classifies business websites, online stores, and corporate social media feeds as “commercial publications.” If you market, sell, or provide services to anyone in Quebec, you must offer a fully synchronized French version of your digital presence.
Website Layout: The “No Less Favorable” Standard
- English-First is Okay, But… You can still have your website load in English first to serve your primary local customer base. However, the French version must be just as easy to find and use.
- No Shortcuts: You cannot rely on automated browser pop-ups (like Google Translate), and users shouldn’t have to hunt through menus to find a language toggle. A permanent, clear link to the French site (like an “FR” button) must be highly visible right in the main header.
- Smart Routing: Ideally, your website should use subfolders (like
yourwebsite.ca/fr/) so that when a user searches for or accesses your business in French, the system automatically serves them the French page natively.
Social Media Marketing
Corporate profiles on networks like Facebook and Instagram must maintain digital content parity. If you are promoting a local business to consumers in Quebec, your updates cannot be in English only.
- Bilingual Integration: Both paid advertisements and organic promotional updates must feature a French version of equivalent quality and visibility. (Fortunately, Facebook’s ad manager makes this relatively easy to configure when booking a paid ad).
- Text Formatting Hierarchy: If you maintain a single, unified social media profile rather than separate English and French handles, individual posts must include both languages. In these cases, the French text must be positioned first and granted equal or greater visual prominence.
- The AI Pitfall: Many businesses in the Pontiac are currently falling short of these rules—particularly when using AI image generators to create digital posters for weekend specials, events, or live music.
While AI tools are great for quick graphics, generating a poster with text that reads “Live Music Saturday Night!” or “Wing Night Special!” without a prominent French translation right on the graphic creates an instant OQLF compliance risk. If you use AI to design a promotion, the text inside the image must also be bilingual, with French holding top priority.
Print Advertising in The Equity
Despite the strict nature of Bill 96, a major legal loophole remains completely intact for local print media like The Equity.
Under Section 59 of the Charter of the French Language, strict provincial language rules do not apply to advertisements placed in news media that publish exclusively in a language other than French. Because The Equity is a historic newspaper published almost entirely in English, any commercial advertisement you place within our printed pages or on our website is legally exempt from mandatory French translation. This means you can continue to run your traditional, unilingual English ads safely and without fear of OQLF penalties.
Compliance and Corporate Strategy
Staying compliant with the language laws is the only way to avoid annoying administrative hurdles and heavy daily fines. While some local businesses have adapted to recent warnings by mixing a little humor with their compliance (such as updating roadside signs to read bilingual blends like “Oui fix cars”) making structured adjustments to your website layout and social media workflows remains the safest path forward.
If you are a business owner in the Pontiac and need a hand auditing your website, setting up dual-language social media protocols, or making sure your storefront signs meet the 2-to-1 visual standard, our team can help you build seamless, compliant solutions.
For a professional check-up on your business’s marketing compliance, contact Jon directly at jon@calumetmedia.ca.
