St-Léonard barber battles OQLF over English signs, social media

CTV News

18-07-2025

A St-Léonard barbershop owner says the OQLF is targeting his business over English content on his storefront and Instagram.
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A St-Léonard barbershop owner says he's spending as much time dealing with Quebec's language watchdog as he is cutting hair, after being flagged for using English on both his storefront and Instagram account.
Jesse Padulo, who opened the Corner Shop barbershop a little more than a year ago, said inspectors from the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) first showed up at his business about six months ago.
'It's been rough ever since. So instead of me cutting hair I'm going back and forth with emails and trying to run my business,' Padulo said.
He says the OQLF initially took issue with his outdoor sign, before focusing on his Instagram content.
In a letter, the language watchdog cited Article 52 of the French Language Charter, which prohibits publishing commercial content on social media in a language other than French.
In a statement to CTV News, the OQLF said that even videos have to be in French.
'They may also be in other languages, provided that they are accessible in French under conditions that are at least as favourable,' the watchdog said.
Padulo also has a file for his outdoor sign because the OQLF says French must take up twice as much space as other languages, and non-compliance could result in hefty fines, reaching as much as $30,000 a day.
'I'm here to give a haircut, not a French lesson. If you walk in, 'Bonjour/hi, qu'est-ce que tu veux, what would you like?' I'll do it in both languages,' he said.
The OQLF confirmed that it had received a complaint regarding Padulo's signage, adding that it was currently being processed.
'One fine and I close the doors, and I go on welfare.'
Padulo said he is currently stuck in limbo and unsure what the next problem will be.
'I'm feeling stressed because I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, how can I give this service to my clients? So, what happens? Everything just decreases because they walk in and I'm not the same Jesse,' he said.
Padulo noted that he will not be changing his storefront sign.