His sign reads "In Quebec it happens in French." It's a clear indication that he does not want to speak English.
These ticket takers have never been a very cheerful lot overall and there have been several recent complaints of these guys berating customers for asking questions in English. Indeed a soccer Impact player recently complained that he was treated in a racist fashion by such ticket takers and the team President Joey Saputo kicked the player off his team for his action.
By law they are not required to speak any English due to the idea that Montreal is a technically a French city. The MTC, or STM as it is officially known, claims that even though they are not required to speak anything other than French, they are required to be polite to people. Nobody seems clear on what that means in practice however.
Guarding opinions from inside reinforced plexiglass? Sounds a lot like the Pope.
ReplyDeleteIt's also supper cool that the metro station n question is right in between two English high schools.
ReplyDeleteWhen was this taken?
ReplyDeleteYou should send this picture to the Gazette's squeaky wheels column. I'm sure he was not authorized to hang it up.
ReplyDeleteGazette squeaky wheels website: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/daily-commuter/squeaky-wheels.html
A friend of mine once owned a pizzeria , with Saputo being his cheese supplier. When he placed an order with a Saputo competitor,Joey was calling within minutes suggesting he cancel the order. Obviously he had a paid mole at the competitor.
ReplyDeleteIs there not an issue with posting a personal/unauthorized (probably) sign? Is this not some sort of vandalism?
ReplyDeleteDepending on which language you speak, you might see it as a sign of pride with no prejudice...or a sign of anglophobia. Personally, I have seen so many people yelling at them, treating them like less-than-nothing, that I prefer not to analyse their behavior too much.
ReplyDeleteThe STM's spokesholes (Marvin Rotrand and Marianne Rouette) will blabber on and on that they won some insignificant award in 2010 and they have a "zero tolerance" policy.
ReplyDeleteOf course we all know what "zero tolerance" actually means. SInce he can't be fired, the STM has no legitimacy with its policy.
As I said on twitter, this douchebag's punishment is to put up with douchey private English high school kids all day.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, this kind of attitude is stupid. You deal with the public, you speak every language you can.
But these guys at Villa Maria are pretty bad. Anytime I have a question they can't answer me no matter which language I speak.
--Kevin
STM policy: it is ok to hire racists for the ticket booth, but these racists can't make up little racist signs informing the non-Nous half of the tax paying population of the fact.
ReplyDeleteTime for the Quebec population to face facts, loi 101 is racist and based purely on Revenge against the english, pur et simple.
What next? French language tests at the Quebec/New York border? Intolerant thugs beating up American tourists who are overheard speaking English on Ste. Catherine Street?
ReplyDeleteSomehow, though, I get a chuckle imagining such pathological xenophobes tossing and turning in bed, unable to get to sleep because their Videotron grid has "too many English TV stations", and other such paranoia.
Some day psychiatrists will surely categorize this as a mental disorder.
Supper cool?
ReplyDeletePizza? Barbecue ribs? “Suicide sauce” wings? Thaï noodles? Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam?
This just in...in case you haven't seen it. http://www.thesuburban.com/article.php?id=395&title=Activists-Protest-STM-Employee%E2%80%99s-Overt-Language-Discrimination
ReplyDeletePeabody
Bravo to the protesters!
ReplyDeleteHopefully, the days of us being "too polite" are over for good.