47 municipalities in Quebec told to pass resolution or lose bilingual status

Côte Saint-Luc, a city in Montreal's west end, is among 47 boroughs, towns and cities in Quebec that have 120 days to pass resolutions to protect their bilingual status.

Mayor Mitchell Brownstein said he was expecting a notice from the province's language French language watchdog, Office québécois de la langue française (OLF), but he didn't think it would come right before the holidays.

Côte Saint-Luc happened to have a meeting planned for Tuesday evening and slipped a resolution into the agenda, but Brownstein is worried not every municipality has that leeway.

"We are going to pass our resolution tonight before the new year, but other cities may not have any more meetings," he said. "Hopefully they'll notice it and remember."

Bill 96, the new language law that came into effect June 1, mandates that a municipality's bilingual status be revoked in places where fewer than 50 per cent of citizens have English as a mother tongue.

Soon after the bill passed, a spokesperson for the OLF said municipalities that lose their bilingual status can still offer services in English, but must ensure that its services to the public are available in the official language of Quebec.

But bilingual status gives local English-speaking residents and businesses several advantages as the city has an obligation to communicate in both languages and has a budget for bilingualism.

For example, Montreal offers some English services, but not everything, be it forms or communications, is available in English. 

Pierrefonds-Roxboro, the only borough in Montreal with bilingual status, is among municipalities on the list. 

Borough Mayor Jim Beis said his borough council plans to adopt its resolution in January, but notes it has to then be approved by Montreal's city council. 

"That added layer of passing it at the municipal council is something that's ongoing and we will be in discussions with the Montreal administration to make sure that they clearly understand the needs of our community and we keep that status," Beis said.

In a statement, the City of Montreal said it's very sensitive to Pierrefonds-Roxboro's bilingual status, just as it is about protecting the French language in Montreal.

The administration will discuss the issue with Beis and the Quebec government to analyze the needs of the residents in the borough, the statement says.

In an interview with CBC's Daybreak, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said she would support any request from the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough to keep its official bilingual status.

Other municipalities on the island of Montreal that face losing bilingual status include Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, Dorval, Kirkland and the Town of Mont-Royal.

Sherbrooke's borough of Lennoxvile is also on the list. Last week, Mayor Évelyne Beaudin said she saw this coming when Bill 96 became law.

"We must protect the bilingual status, because these are essential services that we offer as a municipality, and everyone should be able to obtain them adequately," she said.

"There are many seniors, in particular, who have not had the chance to learn French."

Luc Trépanier is the mayor of Barkmere, which isn't far from Mont-Tremblant, north of Montreal in the Laurentians. His town is among those who got a notification from the OLF saying the municipality is not a majority anglophone.

"Our taxpayers are non-francophones in majority, and it is very important for us to be able to serve all of our citizens in a language they can understand," he said in an email.

That's why, he explained, the town will adopt a resolution in January to maintain its bilingual status.