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The furor continues in Brome Lake over signage, that some people say is blatently slapping Anglophones in the face, as Town Council responded to questions about the sign on the new community center by saying "Centre Lac Brome" is actually bilingual.
According to Town Council, the sign on the Brome Lake Community Center, which says "Centre Lac Brome", is actually a wonderful example of bilingualism and councillors explained carefully during questions at the council meeting that since "Centre" is the properly spelled English version of the word "Center" and "Lac Brome" is the legal Quebec Government designation of the town then "Centre Lac Brome" is acceptable signage. Indeed it appears that this sign is "The Perfect Storm" as far as signs go as the English and French designations are identical!
Someone should tell the CHSSN, the Community Health and Social Services Network, which is the network of community organizations, resources and public institutions striving to ensure access to health and social services in English for Quebec’s English-speaking communities, who call it "Centre Lac Brome Center". That looks like a trilingual nomenclature...French, English and American according to the CHSSN! Bad Bad Bad says Brome Lake!
Of course, in Quebec, we have laws that must be adhered to and the language laws, no matter how despised by some, are laws nonetheless. But if the Town insists that English, as according to law, must be less predominant on signs, and they have done some nice spinning on the Brome Lake Center sign how can they allow a unilingual sign in downtown Knowlton to be established?
Heck...the town insisted a local restaurant change their sign because it advertised "dinner" instead of "diner". My goodness! "Dinner" is perfect because it contains both French and English together in one word!! Just like "Centre Lac-Brome" is bilingual so is, according to the same nebulous logic, the word "dinner" because it...certainly more biligual than Bel Canto?
There is an "Art Gallery" on the banks of the Coldbrook in Knowlton that has a sign that is neither French nor English and it is on the main thoroughfare of Knowlton! The gallery has a sign that says "CARPE DIEM"...ummm...is that French? Is that English? No...it is neither official language but it seems that in Brome Lake that anything but English is acceptable! Does the Town prefer to allow a dead language on a sign? As long as it isn't english then perhaps it's ok?
Of course the stunningly Victorian "artsy-fartsy" clock on main street which stands beside the large "kiss my bum" Victorian statue in central Knowlton is something else but even the clock is so impossible to read that anyone passing by will surely miss their bus or appointment! We have a nice Bank of Montreal sign with a classic clock upstream but Town Council said nothing to the crazy junk-yard clock, big bummy statue and unlingual sign in the center of town! A useless clock, a sign written in Latin that should, by logic, be written in proper French. The correct French signage should replace the unlingual Latin: "Cueille le jour présent et sois le moins confiant possible en l'avenir".
While the council is at it they should look at renaming "Lakeside" to "Côté de Lac" because that is a blatent case of english being used in "flagrant delecti". And the actual French translation for "Saint Paul" according to Wikipedia in French is: "Paul de Tarse"! But does anyone have the courage to let the real-estate agents know that they should announce to their clients that the most saught-after property area, previously known as "Saint Paul" street, should be officially known the new and improved "Paul de Tarse"?
Why not rename KNOWLTON with the official French translation for Knowlton. "Knowlton" = "Savoir la Tonne". DOINK!!
Let's take a look at a new and apparently popular event coming to Lac-Brome: The Knowlton Bel Canto Festival. Bel Canto? Is Bel Canto a bilingual expression? Nope...it's Italian! And they don't call it Lac-Brome as is the Proper Quebec Name but for some unknown reason they call it Knowlton Bel Canto? The only consistency seems to be inconsistency!
Regarding the "Centre Lac Brome", many residents are upset at the fact that the English Community provided much of the private funding (apparently over 75% of the local private funding came from mainly English groups yet they don't deserve the respect of having an English sign on the building they paid for) to get the Community Center paid for and the refusal to recognize the English language community as major supporters and fundraisers on the sign that graces the building is a blatent smack in "la face"!
A letter to the editor in the local paper "The Brome County News" by a dim-witted resident from Fulford expressed the frustrations:
Bilingual Brome?
Moronic Article by Morris Croghan, resident of Fulford.
"CENTRE LAC BROME "IS BILINGUAL ?
Alan Gauthier at the town meeting of February 2nd, councilor Alan Gauthier, previously thought to have displayed some measure of independent thinking, i.e. his bilingual resolution #2008-10-355 recanted.
Re-joining the Wisdom/Willcinsom team in their determined efforts to keep any offensive English off "Centre Lac Brome's" unilingual French signs. Mr.Gauthier carefully explained that since " Centre" is a properly spelled English word and "Lac Brome" is the legal Quebec Government name for the town. "Centre Lac Brome" is therefore bilingual? Wow! You won't see better spinning than that in Ottawa!
Being a reluctant public speaker myself, I'm in awe of Mr. Gauthier's effortless public delivery of this convoluted, non-sensical pile of verbal garbage. Has Mayor
Wisdom taken on a protege? Yes, "Centre" is a proper English word and "Lac Brome" may well be the town's Quebec government legal name. But no, Mr.Gauthier! Combined as "Centre Lac Brome", they do not constitute a bilingual sign. I would suggest you consult your 3rd grade English Reader, take a rest and revisit the issue.
Perhaps get your "pole fish" and in your "car blue" go to Lac Brome around "Island Eagle", stay in your "boat red" necause the island is "Propriete Prive"!
PS: Wisdom, Wilkinson and Gauthier aside. BILINGUAL SIGNS ARE COMING TO THE COMMUNITY CENTER SOON"
Ouch! What an idiotic letter from Morris Croghan, resident of Fulford! Sounds like he'll soon start up a blog and start bitching about everything that isn't tea and crumpets and God Save The Queen! Just don't ever translate Morris Croghan into Maurice Croghan or he'll likely threaten to sue you! Hmmm...he surely has connections to the kangaroo court!!
For more on the adventures of Mr. Slomo Croghan visit here! Funny stuff from the peanut gallery!
posted by DestinationKnowlton.com on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 
17 Comments:
Well I must say that this article and commentary are truly passé yet entertaining. They each show the true underlying spirit of a select few that reflect poorly on the population of the region as a whole.
In a time of true dilemmas, conflict and turmoil, these select carriers of the “torch of lost causes” live up to trivializing the corner stone of the Knowlton community, its history. We should be beyond this by now. Is it wise for a community to lose itself in its history at the cost of regression? Knowlton is renowned for its antiques, as are these people with their antiquated concept and ideas. Let’s keep the shops and lose the thoughts.
As many try and bring Knowlton (Lac Brome) into the fold of success of their surrounding communities, such as Bromont. Once again these select few retard such efforts and leave their own community wallowing in ineffective and belittling arguments that take personal aim at individuals who, by all accounts, are simply doing their best for the community.
The community centre is an incredible representation of what people can achieve when they pull together. It is a testimonial to the town. It is a complete and utter shame that this point is cast aside because "a select few" do not appreciate the name. I believe that most residents are grateful for the establishment regardless of the name.
Question: before the ground was broken, would this issue have been a 'deal-breaker'?
There is a comment towards an individual who, it is suggested, should return to his grade three teacher to clarify his English. Perhaps any one of us will always have room to improve our mother tongue, but more so, develop our respective second language in an attempt to better understanding each other and work together for our combined future.
To these few I ask one simple thing, think of our priorities please and move forward.
Anonymous ? Mr, Mrs, It, courage challenged, whoever, whatever you are . While I don't usually bother to address irrelevant comments from secret little letter writers such as yourself. No more than I would attempt to engage in dialog with a buzzing flypaper ensnarled housefly , for this one time I will respond and try to address your loosely related points one by one. Firstly I will never consider my English Speaking Community a lost cause. Perhaps I should have said our English Community but alas who knows what you are ? Accused of both losing myself in history and trivializing history at the same time. I would suggest you change your blog time beverage to coffee or perhaps warm milk. As to your expressed admiration for that autoroute blight, monument to bad taste and commercial excess, Bromont. Why do you not simply relocate there, you may do well there. Obviously not a big fan of Knowlton's " too English " history, the environment you aspire to is not far away ! Crass, shallow, unilingual, ignorant and in possession of a historical memory that goes all the way back to the pioneers of the ski hill in 1960. Ask someone for directions to West Shefford. Your community centre comments about people pulling together are ludicrous. Some people who pulled together and funded a large portion of the center were promptly forgotten when all the cash was in. As testament to the low regard in which city hall holds it's founding peoples language, English was omitted from the buildings signs. You ask (confident the answer is yes) would the deal have gone through had English speakers been aware of the fate of their language on the building ? My answer No. No deal with that devious gang of disrespectful politicos and their ego stroking hacker fans like you. Your naive, patronizing, defense of the worst administration ever inflicted on our 200 year old noble town might be comical, a joke , were it not so embarrassingly childishly and painfully ignorant. Wake up to the way things are here in TBL or VLB. If you are indeed an Anglo, give yourself an education in reality, go get a job at city hall, the Bourret and Wisdom team await you. Morris Croghan Fulford
Well.. that was well put. May I suggest, that with all of your wit, charm, warm words and undoubtedly warm hearted character, you run for the office of mayor? It is obvious you are deeply dissatisfied and feel you have all the answers. It should be time for you to make a change!
I couldn't imagine someone as eloquent as yourself not sweeping the municipal election! I am certain the citizens of Lac Brome would flock to your camp like a humming bird to a honeysuckle.
If I may also suggest a couple of sessions of anger management might do you well before you hit the campaign trail... you have my vote!
Of course, if you win, I suppose a fair number of "us" will be banished to Bromont... But, I suspect there is nothing wrong with being closer to the ski hill and shops!
Good Luck, Future Mr. Mayor...
Still staying anonymous, you're too volatile.
I imagine you might have simply expected something closer to your level like "your mother wears combat boots" and "I know you are, but what am I?" but I'll leave that type of dialogue to you... All the best
Also, I have to ask... have you really been in "Lac Brome" for 200 years?
What sort of leadership is going on in Knowlton, Lac Brome??
How can the taxpayers accept that our town is being run into the ground by our elected officials?
It seems the English heritage that helped build this town is being ignored and while we pay our taxes like the rest of everyone we don't warrant the courtesy of having a reasonable answer to our questions.
Is the silent majority so prevelant that no-one else matters?
Council meetings are populated by team-players who are on-side with the officials and their non-sensical policies...it doesn't make sense!
The sad state of Knowlton is a reflection of the elected officials and their so-called supporters living in Lac Brome!
When are the elections going to knock down this puppet show??
Lot's of request for new leadership, who's stepping up to the plate? Until one of you has the courage to do so, your complaints will continue to fall on deaf ears...
What does it take to run for Council in Knowlton Brome Lake Lac Brome besides a PHD in trickonemtry and a well padded conection to the Silent Majority??
I would run during the next elections but I'm afraid I have too much integrity and honesty!!
I'm also afriad that running for council is the same as volunteering to be the captain of the Titanic...no...the Hindenburg!!
so stop complaining.
I pay taxes in Knowlton so I can complain about the mismanagement of the elcted officials all I want! I help pay their salaries so I have every right to complain about their hidden agendas and their tactics of self-preservation!
Maybe try and stick to the reall issue here that this town doesn't want to have any English peeking out where it might frighten the silent majority.
The history of this great nation is being undermined!
Perhaps you should there for move and pay taxes where you would feel appreciated...
Moron said: "Perhaps you should there for move and pay taxes where you would feel appreciated.."
That is the most assanine comment I have ever read! If taxpayers feel they are being run by a bunch of useless ninnies then they should all move away instead of wanting to change things for the better?
No point in commenting if you can't stick to the topic: Knowlton is turning French and the English who are part of the Heritage of the area are worth nothing to the government except tax money!!
Centre Lac Brome indeed!!!
Hello,
My name is David Milligan and this is my blog and these comments seem to be degenerating to the point that I feel it is in our best interest to close the commengts section.
No point in having a free for all of anonomous comments. If you want to leave a comment put your name or don't bother.
I'd rather close the website than have argumentative and bashing, trolling comments in the comments section.
People from all over the world visit this website and if they see these sots of comments they will think Knowlton is full of loosers!
Step up to the plate!!!!
point well made... thank you...
Attn: D. Milligan,
You point is well made, it seems that there are a lot of individuals that claim to have an opinion and yet, they seem to be reluctant to show their name so that we can see who realy does have WHAT opinion.
Stanley Neil
The problem is that instead of meeting in the middle many Anglos feel that history has left them with some sort of entitlement. There are many people in Brome Lake who speak only English and I've seen them not even bother to utter a word of French to a person who is obviousely French!
Progress has to be made and regardless of what happened 200 years ago...the new world is moving in a new direction and bigotry and stonewalling about petty language issues is utterly pointless and just shows the bigotry and ignorance of people.
Trick or Treat?
We are going to get a new mayor for Halloween!
I hope his costume does not hide a worst nightmare than what we have dealt with the last 10 years.
This town needs to start shinning again!
Lift you chin up all of Ville Lac Brome!!!
This relationship is worth working on it. Half the schools are full of kids born out of English-French speaking parents (exogamous couples).
Claiming old values does not affect the daily life of local kids.
They play soccer, talk a mixture of French and English depending on the topics and are truly benefiting from both language.
This town is a gem, we need to see the glitter in the mud.
There is mud everywhere on the planet, this place is safe and secure, roughly half a billion people would love to raise their kids here instead of where they live.
Visit the villages like you are from far away and discover where you live is beautiful, the people are genuine and nature has gifted us with this land.
It could be worst couldn't it?
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