MONTREAL – Tir du Soleil, an air gun shooting range owned by Lev Chif, has come out to say the Office Québecois de la Langue Française (OQLF) is after them.
The problem, according to Chif, is an English descriptor on the business’ banner that reads “Montreal Air Gun Recreational and Sport Centre.”
“I was upset, more upset than angry because understanding that we are in Quebec, I established everything bilingual,” Chif said.
The air gun firing range in Côte-des-Neiges has been in business for almost two years.
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The banner hadn’t been a problem until Chif received a letter from the language police last March.
“I think the government is supposed to work to support the businesses and support the people,” Chif said.
The OQLF argued the English writing is too big and should be smaller than the French descriptor by 50 per cent, even if most of the banner is written in French with the descriptor and business name.
“What is Tir du Soleil, nobody knows,” he said.
“Well, if you are English speaking, you wouldn’t see what is Tir du Soleil.”
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Late last month, Chif was told he has three months to comply, but said he doesn’t intend to.
“I’ll go to the court and I will try to be logical,” he said.
“I’ll show that everything in our business is bilingual and even talking about the banner – more than 75 per cent of this banner is French.”
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Chif argued he’s not ready to get a government body tell him what to do.
“I don’t want to be manipulated. I came here from a country where all the people were manipulated,” he said.
“I came here to Canada, to a free country from the dictatorship…from the Soviet Union. I didn’t want to live there.”
The OQLF did not return Global News’ request for comment.
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