The Name Above Burgundy Lion's Door is Now a Line Being Crossed

UPDATE, August 14 @ 12:58PM: The OQLF walked back its order, and Pub Burgundy Lion’s sign can remain as is.

Montreal’s Burgundy Lion is in the crosshairs of the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF)—this time over the three words that have hung above its door for nearly two decades.

During a recent francization review, Quebec’s language office flagged “Pub Burgundy Lion,” zeroing in on “Burgundy” under new rules that kicked in this summer.

The pub says its name speaks to where it lives—Little Burgundy—while the Office argues “Burgundy” reads as English. For now, the file is under analysis, not a done deal. 

On August 12, Lyle wrote on Facebook:

"Is this sign in English? The OQLF has decided it is, or more specifically that the name Burgundy is. Ignoring the historical and cultural significance of the name “Little Burgundy”. Burgundy Lion had a visit from the OQLF, and after informing me that my last name ‘Lyle’ is not a Quebecois name, the agent in question began to pick through what he considered to be language violations. Admittedly some were legitimate, things we’d overlooked on our website, which I was grateful to have had pointed out to me, and which were changed immediately. But telling me that our 17 year old sign, representing our institution and our involvement in the local community, is a step too far. We have been told to update the sign to add French words.