A billboard advertising company has taken down one of their signs due to a controversial bilingual sign bylaw in Dieppe.
Pattison Outdoor Group says its clients don’t want to pay extra for printing their ad in both languages.
Billboards line Champlain Street in Moncton, but once the street enters Dieppe city limits, those billboards need to be in both English and French due to a bylaw passed in 2010.
“The signage didn’t seem to reflect the Francophone culture of our municipality,” says city spokesperson Isabelle LeBlanc.
Pattison Outdoor Group owns dozens of billboards in Greater Moncton, but the business has decided a billboard near the airport in Dieppe must go.
“They found advertisers felt they need to spend more money to produce a different sign,” says LeBlanc.
Nora Bourque owns a sign manufacturing business in Dieppe. She says she hasn’t encountered any problems when contacted by potential customers.
“They understand very well. They don’t make a fuss at all,” says Bourque. “They are very supportive.”
Retailer Jim Goguen says his bicycle business didn’t need a bylaw to force them to advertise in both languages. He says it’s good business to appeal to both the Anglophone and Francophone populations.
“We’re in a bilingual area,” says Goguen. “It’s a bilingual province and we want to make sure we accommodate all our customers.”
Pattison has been fined several times in the past for not complying with the bylaw. According to the bylaw, whoever owns the structure where the ad is placed is responsible for its content.
Representatives from Pattison did not return calls to CTV News. There is no word on whether the rest of their billboards will also come down.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
