Quebec goes ahead with new French signage rules, delays requirements for appliances

In January, the province estimated compliance will cost Quebec businesses $7 million to $15 million to comply. Experts and business leaders have since contested that estimate.

“Certain companies, without naming them, have calculated that the regulatory changes will cost them between $20 and $25 million. And that’s just for one,” said the Retail Council of Canada’s Quebec chapter president, Michel Rochette.

His organization called for a three-year delay between the publication of the new rules and their entry into force because certain brands will have to pay significant sums to comply — costs that could be passed on to consumers.

This update to the province’s Charter of the French language came into force Wednesday and will be enforced next year — with fines ranging from $700 to $30,000.

Read full article. (CBC News)