Quebec’s language police tell Burgundy Lion pub its sign is breaking the law

There's a language storm brewing over the name Burgundy Lion, an English pub in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood of Montreal.

There’s a language storm brewing over the name Burgundy Lion, an English pub in the Montreal neighbourhood for which it is named.

It started with a surprising heads-up that co-owner Toby Lyle said he recently got from the Office Quebecois de la langue francais (OQLF).

“That my sign is no good — it’s not French enough,” he said.

In an email obtained by Global News, a language enforcement official wrote in French that “the word ‘Burgundy’ is not attested in French, even though it refers to the Little Burgundy neighborhood. Corrections are required.”

Those corrections include adding elements in French such as descriptions, the letter explained.

In Quebec, the law states that business signs must be in French, and that if there’s another language, French must be clearly predominant.

In Lyle’s opinion, his sign conforms with the law.

“Burgundy is a neighbourhood, ‘pub’ is a French word and ‘lion’ is both French and English,” he told Global News.