Faulted for an extra "F"

Posted By: Trudie Mason · 3/1/2013 9:49:00 AM

Another Italian coffee bar is trying to fight off the language cops.  

CJAD told you earlier this week about an Italian cafe in Quebec City that had to replace its menus, signs and wineglasses because its name was spelled in the Italian way: with two Fs.  

Like it, the Caffe in Gamba on Park Avenue in Montreal spells its name with two Fs, to reflect its Italian inspiration.  The francophone who owns it has been fined nearly two-thousand dollars and ordered to change his signs.  

He says he is adding  a French language descriptor to one sign but the other is too small for more words.  

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  1. lisa posted on 03/01/2013 10:23 AM
    un-FFriggen-believable.
    1. Claudio posted on 03/01/2013 11:07 AM
      @lisa Honestly? The french cops should mind their own businesses before the owners of these caffe's get angry.
    2. LMAO posted on 03/01/2013 12:25 PM
      @lisa Yes way top much FFing around here.
  2. Mary posted on 03/01/2013 10:54 AM
    What about the McCafé ? "McCafé" is not "café".
    Why can McDonald's misspell their coffee name but all others (italians) have to comply. Something's wrong here. Someone may be paying off the OQLF maybe?
    More corruption? Someone please enlighten me.
  3. Lydia Laberge posted on 03/01/2013 11:08 AM
    They should spend the money on their childrens second language instruction,
    to secure a better life for them.. Or maybe health issues would also be more important, than than this world wide humiliation of Quebecers..
    1. Mike posted on 03/01/2013 11:18 AM
      @Lydia Laberge there is no "world" outside Quebec. Everyone else is wrong and we are right. That's why we demand everyone speaks french when we travel to Florida or Burlington. It's always why French Quebeckers believe they and the Palestinians share the same pain, that of a breakaway state, persecuted by evil...
    show more replies
  4. Mike posted on 03/01/2013 11:16 AM
    I wouldn't even know their sign read "caffe" anyway!!
  5. Umaga posted on 03/01/2013 11:23 AM
    O.K. CJAD we get the point !! The language of business is French in Quebec , we all know that , is it really necessary to report every single violation of the language charter ?

    If you keep this up some Angry -Anglo might go postal and stick a sign in his macaroni salad !
    1. LMAO posted on 03/01/2013 03:49 PM
      @Umaga Yes you are quite right the business language of Quebec is French and that would reflect why they have a pathetic sad state of the Quebec business worldwide too. It's laughable to send a diplomatic mission to the US when you only do business in French -not even Spanish.
      Why do you think that any English speaking country would want ot do business with Quebec and all it's restrictions when they can do business anywhere else in the world without them. Maybe you should give that some thought while thinking up your next one liner.
    2. JohnH- posted on 03/02/2013 12:36 PM
      @Umaga Umaga, you don't get the point! It's about "FREEDOM OF SPEECH" Do you live in a democratic society? And if so, what are you afraid of? This will continue until the OQLF is no more. And Bill 101 and the PQ. are out of our lives. Then we can all get back to living a normal life.
  6. Theo posted on 03/01/2013 11:37 AM
    The attached photo of the sign looks too cryptic to me to even notice that it says caffe. This has to be a new low of the OLF's anal nit-picking!

    What does OLF stand for now - Office to Lose The "F" ?
  7. Angie posted on 03/01/2013 11:46 AM
    Anyone else see that forbiden word on the SAQ flyer this week?

    Imagine it Vino & the dreaded PASTA, shame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Where are the Language police? What's the number to call?
  8. George Ostrowski posted on 03/01/2013 01:22 PM
    I am boycotting the french language. I am speaking only English when I shop or when I'm in public. I landed at Dorval last night and helped an out of towner because the security guys guiding us through the customs lines only gave the instructions in french.
    I explained to this out of town gentleman, in a loud and firm voice while looking at the guard right in the eye, what was going on here and he was dumbfounded. Later while I was waiting for my luggage a total stranger came up to me and shook my hand and gave me a thumbs up.

    WE MUST STAND UP TO THESE SEPARATISTS. WE MUST PUBLICLY EMBARRASS THE SEPARATISTS. They are weak and they can be stopped. STAND UP TO THEM. DON'T SPEAK FRENCH
    1. jimmy K. posted on 03/02/2013 01:03 PM
      @George Ostrowski George I feel the same way.
      When I'm anywhere in MTL I will absolutely not speak french.
      Funny thing is I am bilingual my father is Quebecois.
      And Because I speak english like someone from toronto or new york without even a hint of my french accent, whenever I speak 99% of the time a French Quebecer will always ask where I'm from. I love to tell them born and raised right here. NOW FaaK off!!
  9. Drew posted on 03/01/2013 01:41 PM
    This is a great diversion by the PQ Government. All we are hearing in the past few weeks is how the OLF a hitting on English Signs. What is happening in the mean time.
    Corruption Hearings
    Student unrest
    Police unrest
    Higher sales tax 1% increase
    Gas hikes
    Infrastructure falling apart

    The OLF are the patsies and camouflage for this non transparent government
    1. LMAO posted on 03/01/2013 03:51 PM
      @Drew This Province has had no real governing since last October.
    2. Umaga posted on 03/01/2013 03:55 PM
      @Drew You could be right , but since only the English media are running these stories the tactic is distracting a small percentage of the population .
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  10. jonico posted on 03/01/2013 07:43 PM
    @Umaga
    For someone who seems to dislike English media so much you're either very bored or frustrated. Most people stay away from something they dislike at least the normal ones. You label Angry-Anglos, but I think it is more Angry-Umaga. I hope you find happiness soon -you seem a little disturbed and very sad. Perhaps yoga may help.
  11. Jerry posted on 03/02/2013 07:34 AM
    This is real sad. I was born in Quebec and I remember Montreal as a vibrant, energetic, cosmopolitan city known throughout the world. Allow me to enlighten all you Quebecois, the only language of the world is the $, the Yen, the Franc, the Greenback, the Pound, the Peso, the Euro... Do you get it? These language policies are going to shut the door from those languages coming to Quebec. It won't happen overnight but slowly and surely, less and less economic growth will result in this province. I foresee all you Pequists going back to the 17th century, where all you wanted was a little piece of farmland to grow your potatoes and carrots while the world soars to new heights. Wake up people - Quebec has to have two official langauges - French & English!!!!
  12. Peter posted on 03/02/2013 09:57 AM
    Well, I guess anglophones should not feel isolated when it comes to this; turns out ANY language other than French will threaten French in this province! I wonder how come they haven't gone after stores with Arabic on their signs, or Greek, or Spanish.....it's probably coming anyway. What a way to encourage people to open up a business in a second-rate, fast-dropping, pathetic-looking, and desperately economically distrought city called Montreal.
  13. Marilyn posted on 03/02/2013 05:45 PM
    I agree 100% with George. I also refuse to speak French.
  14. Paul posted on 03/02/2013 06:23 PM
    On the one hand, its very sad to see the ridiculous small mindedness of this publicly funded organization of xenophobes. On the other hand it helps highlight to the world what kind of repressive and bigoted policies we have here in Quebec.

    This is the opposite situation as the 1950's and 1960's. The oppressed have become the oppressors and the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. The good news is that the forces of nature will swing the pendulum back somewhere in the middle at at some point.

    If you will show an article about the OQLF to someone twenty years from now they will probably think its an April fool's article and not believe that anyone can be that stupid. Don't forget, slavery has not been extinct in America for that long, not that long ago, women couldn't vote. Even today, the Taliban will kill children for going to school. Every era has its share of lunatics.
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