Bakery gets OQLF reproach for Tiktoks
Not sure why this is news, but it’s in the Journal as well as on CTV that a bakery got a letter from the OQLF warning them to put all their TikToks up in French.
Doesn’t this kind of thing happen all the time? I mean, isn’t that mostly what the OQLF is for? Is this news?
Not that I want to minimize the impact on a small business. Lahmajoune Villeray is a terrific bakery. And I’ve never spoken anything but French with the nice people working there.
Saturday, CBC and the Gazette also have the story.
JP 22:36 on 2026-02-27 Permalink
Well, being in the news for this has given them some publicity.. maybe that was the idea behind sharing this with the media; although I can believe that they’re genuinely confused and have tried to get in touch with the OQLF but haven’t been successful in getting adequate help. In any case, I’d never heard of them before and might check them out next time I’m there.
Nicholas 23:17 on 2026-02-27 Permalink
A former colleague told me about two friends from another province who started an instagram-based florist as a side gig and got fined $400.
I was confused why people would think this wouldn’t be necessary, but a friend mentioned that you can air a TV or radio ad in one language without needing to air one in French.
Kate 23:18 on 2026-02-27 Permalink
The thing to do is to go to Lahmajoune Villeray, buy some pita, baba ghannouj and muhammara, then walk along Faillon to Jarry Park and have a picnic.
It helps to have it be summer, though.
Kate 23:20 on 2026-02-27 Permalink
Really, Nicholas? It sounded like the OQLF told these bakery guys that there was no law against doing Tiktoks or other social media stuff in English, but they had to post French versions of the same content simultaneously. This was what I heard on CBC radio, at any rate.
Tim S. 23:26 on 2026-02-27 Permalink
It makes sense that the OQLF is a world-leader in demonstrating that governments can indeed regulate social media. Not quite the first case use that many were pushing for, but hey, it’s a precedent.
Kevin 23:34 on 2026-02-27 Permalink
The only use for the OQLF is that it acts as an outlet for the most petty and xenophobic members of our province.
Annette 01:53 on 2026-02-28 Permalink
Of all shops to target! Reflecting on the land where lahmajoun originates, and the atrocity of ethnonationalism taken to its extremes: stamping out natural multilingualism whatever the cost. For these bakers to hear echos of that same mindset in the modern age must be so dispiriting.
v. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen,_speak_Turkish!
steph 10:34 on 2026-02-28 Permalink
It’s time for Charbel to make the business tictok a personal one where he can share information about a “cool local business”.
JP 13:17 on 2026-02-28 Permalink
@Kate…thanks for the tip! I’ll add that to my Montreal summer to-do list.
Kate 14:38 on 2026-02-28 Permalink
JP. they also have other dips, little meat pies like sfiha and kibbe, and of course lahmajounes, and lots more things I’m not thinking of. Also baklava, although I tend to find those too sticky for a picnic.
I should also add: I’ve never tried anything from Lahmajoune Villeray that wasn’t good.