Quebec's tougher language laws begin for signage, packaging and workplaces
Article content
New rules took effect in Quebec on Sunday requiring French to be the dominant language on store signs and imposing stricter guidelines for product packaging.
The changes are part of Quebec's 2022 overhaul of its French-language law, known as Bill 96, which the government said was essential to protect French in the province.
The new rules came into force on June 1 despite a request from business groups to extend the deadline for companies to comply. They say businesses haven't been given enough time to make changes that can be onerous and costly.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Meta's nuclear deal signals AI's growing energy needs
Meta's deal to help revive an Illinois nuclear power plant was one way of signaling that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is preparing for a future built with artificial intelligence. Meta's 20-year deal with Constellation Energy follows similar maneuvers from Amazon, Google and Microsoft, but it will take years before nuclear energy can meet the tech industry's insatiable demand for new sources of electricity. AI uses vast amounts of energy, much of which comes from burning fossil fuels, which causes climate change. The unexpected popularity of generative AI products over the past few years has disrupted many tech companies' carefully laid plans to supply their technology with energy sources that don't contribute to climate change. Even as Meta anticipates more nuclear in the future, its more immediate plans rely on natural gas. Entergy, one of the nation's largest utility providers, has been fast-tracking plans to build gas-fired power plants in Louisiana to prepare for a massive Meta data center complex. Is the U.S. ready for nuclear-powered AI? France has touted its ample nuclear power — which produces about 75% of the nation's electricity, the highest level in the world — as a key element in its pitch to be an AI leader. Hosting an AI summit in Paris earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron cited President Donald Trump's 'drill baby drill' slogan and offered another: 'Here there's no need to drill, it's just plug baby plug.' In the U.S., however, most of the electricity consumed by data centers relies on fossil fuels — burning natural gas and sometimes coal — according to an April report from the International Energy Agency. As AI demand rises, the main source of new supply over the coming years is expected to be from gas-fired plants, a cheap and reliable source of power but one that produces planet-warming emissions. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind account for about 24% of data center power in the U.S., while nuclear comprises about 15%, according to the IEA. It will take years before enough climate-friendlier power sources, including nuclear, could start slowing the expansion of fossil fuel power generation. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. A report released by the U.S. Department of Energy late last year estimated that the electricity needed for data centers in the U.S. tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple again by 2028 when it could consume up to 12% of the nation's electricity. Why does AI need so much energy? It takes a lot of computing power to make an AI chatbot and the systems they're built on, such as Meta's Llama. It starts with a process called training or pretraining — the 'P' in ChatGPT — that involves AI systems 'learning' from the patterns of huge troves of data. To do that, they need specialized computer chips — usually graphics processors, or GPUs — that can run many calculations at a time on a network of devices in communication with each other. Once trained, a generative AI tool still needs electricity to do the work, such as when you ask a chatbot to compose a document or generate an image. That process is called inferencing. A trained AI model must take in new information and make inferences from what it already knows to produce a response. All of that computing takes a lot of electricity and generates a lot of heat. To keep it cool enough to work properly, data centers need air conditioning. That can require even more electricity, so most data center operators look for other cooling techniques that usually involve pumping in water.
Montreal Gazette
11 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
TALQ of the town: Anglo-rights group QCGN rebrands
By The Quebec Community Groups Network is becoming TALQ, a new name for an anglophone advocacy group that has grown more assertive in recent years and now wants to reach out to francophone Quebecers. The old name 'doesn't reflect what we are today and where the community wants to go,' president Eva Ludvig told The Gazette last week as the organization prepared to announce its rebrand on Wednesday. 'We also realize how difficult it is for us to reach the majority here in Quebec — the francophone, monsieur et madame Tout-le-Monde.' The new name 'dispels the 'us vs. them' perception,' she said. 'We celebrate the vibrancy of the English-speaking community in a profoundly French Quebec.' TALQ (pronounced 'talk') is a standalone name and not an abbreviation, the organization says, though a tagline will also be used: 'Talking. Advocating. Living in Québec.' The 'Q' at the end of TALQ is a nod to Quebec. The accent in the province's name — often omitted by English speakers — acknowledges Quebec's French identity. The organization, which did not disclose the cost of the rebranding, is also replacing its orange logo with blue, a colour historically associated with Quebec. The new name is 'English in origin, anchored in Quebec and proud of its bilingual spirit.' Ludvig said the group will remain a strong voice for anglophones while seeking deeper engagement with the francophone majority. 'Talking is as much about being heard as it is about listening,' Ludvig said. Trevor Ham, a consultant on the rebranding project, said the new name will help 'rejuvenate' the brand. 'QCGN is a mouthful, as is Quebec Community Groups Network,' he said. TALQ is a 'conversation starter, it's bridging the gap, an outstretched hand,' Ham said. 'Conversation is something we all share. There's humanity behind conversation. You don't need to take up arms if you can sit down at a table and talk about things and have rational conversations.' A federally funded nonprofit, the QCGN is celebrating its 30th anniversary. It was born in the wake of the October 1995 Quebec referendum. Alliance Quebec, a prominent anglophone rights group, had fallen apart amid internal divisions. To fill the vacuum, several anglophone groups formed the QCGN. It has long been a defender of anglophone rights. In 2014, for example, the organization warned that the Quebec Liberal government's health reform threatened access to English health services. But its advocacy became more assertive after Premier François Legault came to power. Before the 2018 election, Legault, a former Parti Québécois minister who promised not to hold a sovereignty referendum, wooed the anglophone community. Once he took power, many of his Coalition Avenir Québec's laws didn't sit well with English speakers. From banning hijabs and other religious symbols among government employees (Bill 21), to abolishing school boards (Bill 40) and tightening language laws (Bill 96), anglophones felt ignored by the CAQ, Ludvig said. That spurred the QCGN to take a harder line, aggressively denouncing CAQ government policies and defending anglophones' rights, school system and access to health and social services. The more confrontational stance sparked internal turmoil, leading some groups and board members to quit the QCGN in 2019, complaining it was too Montreal-centric. Ludvig, who became president in 2022, said before the CAQ came to power, Quebec was experiencing a period of 'linguistic peace.'. Since then, the Legault government has 'certainly made it more fragile.' She said the organization has a duty to react to CAQ policies. At the same time, it 'tries to demonstrate that we are Quebecers who belong here, and that we are a community that is not apart.' 'We have our values, our history, but we share our history with the rest of Quebecers,' Ludvig said. 'It's often forgotten that together with other Quebecers, we've built this province, not only economically but culturally and in other ways.' She said the anglo community has changed dramatically over 50 years, but myths remain entrenched, including tired clichés that portray the community as 'unilingual rich Westmounters.' She wants to build bridges with francophones by emphasizing areas of agreement. For example, on the CAQ government's new immigrant integration law, Ludvig said the QCGN shares concerns raised by former Parti Québécois ministers Louise Beaudoin and Louise Harel. When the bill was introduced, the two ardent nationalists joined others arguing the law promotes an assimilationist approach by requiring immigrants to adhere to a 'common culture' and placing disproportionate responsibilities on them. 'We have common issues,' Ludvig said, 'but the focus seems to always be on how the community is different — that we're not part of Quebec, we're not real Quebecers — and that's not true.' 'That's where we want to go — (emphasizing) that we have a lot in common with all Quebecers. We need to focus on that rather than on differences or the divisions artificially created by politicians.' The organization is also trying to engage individual Quebecers by opening membership to the general public. About 150 individuals signed up, joining 48 organizational members, a list that includes Catholic Action Montreal, Gay and Grey Montreal, the Morrin Cultural Centre and YES Employment Services. The Department of Canadian Heritage provides the QCGN's core funding — about $1.5 million annually. The federal support stems from the government's obligations under the Official Languages Act to language minority communities. Ottawa funds francophone groups in the rest of Canada. About 1.3 million Quebecers — roughly 15 per cent of the population — speak English as their first official language, Statistics Canada says. 48 groups belong to QCGN Forty-eight organizations are members of the QCGN: Association of English Language Publishers of Quebec Atwater Library Avenues Montreal Black Community Resource Centre Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival Canadian Parents for French Catholic Action Montreal Chez Doris Coasters Association La Fondation Place Coco Contactivity Centre DESTA Black Youth Network English Parents' Committee Association of Quebec English-Speaking Catholic Council Family Resource Centre Fondation Toldos Yakov Yosef Gay and Grey Montreal Hear Entendre Québec Heritage Lower Saint Lawrence Kabir Cultural Centre LEARN Quebec Literacy Quebec Loyola High School Morrin Cultural Centre Phelps Helps Project 10 Quebec 4-H Association Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network Quebec Association of Independent Schools Quebec Board of Black Educators Quebec Community Newspaper Association Quebec Counselling Association Quebec English-language Production Council Quebec Farmers' Association Quebec Federation of Home and School AssociationS Quebec Music Educators Association Queen Elizabeth Health Complex Regional Association of West Quebecers Repercussion Theatre Saint Columba House SEIZE Seniors Action Quebec South Shore Community Partners Network The Concordian Cote des Neiges Black Community Association Townshippers Association Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre YES Employment Services
Cision Canada
14 hours ago
- Cision Canada
Natural hazard and avalanche prevention: French group MND strengthens its position as global leader
CHAMBÉRY, France, June 3, 2025 /CNW/ -- MND is the world leader in avalanche risk prevention and control. The company has just won new contracts in Canada, the United States, Chile, Argentina, and Norway. Full-scale projects on five continents Canada MND secures the access road to the Brucejack gold mine in British Columbia. The 76-kilometer Knipple Glacier road must remain accessible 24/7 in all weather conditions. MND installs a Gazex system to protect certain sections. The operator NEWMONT, through its distributor AVATEK, chose MND for the reliability and autonomy of the 13 Gazex, adapted to extreme environments. United States The California Department of Transportation in charge of the road network, has renewed its contract with MND for a further three years and the replacement of six Gazex systems in Tahoe Valley. Chile At the CODELCO Bronces copper mine, MND is modernizing the communication systems of forty Gazex units. The system includes satellite connectivity with redundancy via 18 satellites, guaranteeing secure communication between the control bases and the SAFET-Cs web platform. An installation is also planned for the Coldelco mine, at an altitude of over 3,000 metres. Argentina At the Las Leñas ski resort (800 kilometers from Buenos Aires), MND is modernizing a Gazex installation at an altitude of 7,200 to 11,200 feet. Norway MND secures the trunk road on the island of Arnøya with 24 removable O'BellX® units, a radar and a weather station. This system protects a ski touring route. The contract covers operation and maintenance of the site for a renewable five-year period. More than 3,000 MND systems are installed in 22 countries, protecting industrial sites, railroads, roads, ski resorts and villages. The Chamonix valley is equipped to provide safe access to the Mont-Blanc tunnel. MND products are designed and assembled in France. Products are protected by numerous patents. MND is a French group specializing in rope access, snowmaking systems, mountain safety and thrill-seeking leisure infrastructures. With over 3,000 customers in 49 countries, MND's four core businesses contribute to mobility, leisure and safety with proven, sustainable solutions based on its mountain experience. MND is present in over 50 countries
