Bilingual signage inclusive for all in Metro Moncton
Published Tuesday November 24th, 2009
Letter of the day
To The Editor:
Recently, Dieppe City Council adopted a bylaw regulating exterior commercial signage in Dieppe.
The Group for Bilingual Signage in New Brunswick wholeheartedly endorses this important step forward.
The bylaw promotes bilingualism and recognizes the importance of economic development.
Incoming businesses as well as renovating businesses will be required to advertise in both official languages.
Since it only applies to new signs, the bylaw entails no additional costs for existing businesses.
It will also be cost-neutral for Dieppe, which will enforce the regulation through its current permit system.
We would not have been able to achieve this important breakthrough without the help and support of the community.
To that end, we would like to recognize the 4,000 individuals who signed the petition, the 15 national and provincial organizations who joined us, as well as federal MPs Brian Murphy and Yvon Godin who lent their voices to our efforts.
We would also like to thank the Committee for the Promotion of French in Dieppe, whose members unanimously spoke out in favour of this regulation.
Finally, we must congratulate and applaud Dieppe City Council for listening to the community and making the right decision.
The work, however, has just begun. Equality for French-speaking New Brunswickers cannot and must not end at Dieppe's city limits.
Other communities must take similar steps to deal with this important issue. While some may prefer a subtler approach based on education and economic incentives, nothing precludes these municipalities from following Dieppe's lead.
A bylaw mandating bilingualism on all new signs blends well with a softer approach for existing signs -- clarity for new signs, incentives for existing signs.
There is no better place to start than Moncton.
Moncton is the first and the largest bilingual city in New Brunswick. With a population of 64,000 residents, of whom 21,000 are francophone and 30,000 are bilingual, it is unfortunate that 80 per cent of commercial signage is English-only. Moncton should follow Dieppe's lead and clearly demonstrate that it is a city built for everyone.
Martin LeBlanc Rioux,
Spokesperson,
Group for Bilingual Signage in N.B.
Montreal
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Comments (31)
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Why should all new signs in Moncton be bilingual, but in Dieppe they can be French only or bilingual? This is not equality. If all signs must be bilingual, then Dieppe should not be permitted to have French-only ones.
Nice. Just what we needed to stir up some more tension.
Bill C101 coming to a storefront near you soon.
At the end of the day, laws like this will only further the separation between francophone and anglophones.
These people are making it really hard to be proud to say we live in Dieppe. I am all for bilingualism but this thing in Dieppe where as long as there is FRENCH on the sign - regardless of being bilingual or not is ok; this makes me so sick to my stomach. Again where are our ancestors from Leger Corner; Lakeburn; Fox Creek rights to freedom of speech. Mr. LeBlanx Rioux if you don't like it here why come - stay in Montreal and look at the FRENCH only signs there - Leave us true ACADIANS originally from Dieppe alone - you are an embarassing us...We really don't need someone from la belle province to dictate how we should run our city...
My friend has a business in Dieppe unfortunately, the city reps came to his business offering him 40% of his signage cost if he changes it to french or bilingual.... for up to 3K.
So to the Dieppe residents I ask, how do you feel about the taxpayers being on the hook for up to $1200 for each sign changed?
Isn't Dieppe in enough debt?