Canada/Business signs in Kedgwick will have to be in French

The elected officials of the Rural Community of Kedgwick unanimously adopted on Tuesday a by-law concerning outdoor commercial signs on their territory. French will have to be the only language to appear on the signs or it will have to take precedence in case another language is used.

Councillor Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault explained that municipal politics is the level of government where French is the majority language in Kedgwick. As an elected official, it is part of their role to promote and ensure the protection of the majority language, he said.

The municipality also took into account the increasing interprovincial mobility in the drafting of this by-law," continued the councillor. As more and more people from outside the region acquire a business in the community, it is a good idea to remind them of the linguistic reality of Kedgwick and many regions in northern New Brunswick.

Offenders are subject to fines.

This is not a problematic situation in our region, but in discussions with other Francophone communities in the North, we have seen places with a strong Francophone majority where signs have appeared in English only. We wanted to be proactive before the problem arises," explained Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca