Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Via Rail Evacuation Prompts Language Complaint

From The CBC:

The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages has received a complaint concerning the Via rail evacuation in eastern Ontario following an engine fire Sunday evening.

The office confirmed it has received the complaint, which follows passengers' accounts in the media describing trouble obtaining emergency instructions in French during the evacuation. However, as of Tuesday, the office had not yet determined whether the complaint will result in an investigation.

Read more ....

My Comment: Two years ago I was evacuated from a subway car between Verdun and LaSalle metro stations. The evacuation announcements were done entirely in French .... I had to translate to elderly citizens on what was happening.

Even though almost half of Montreal is Anglophone/Allophone, the idea of a bilingual emergency announcement will be objected to by the many Francophone/nationalist organizations on the Island. Their complaints on a Via Rail emergency in Ontario is ludicrous when compared to what happens in Montreal everyday.

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