[lg policy] British Colombia, Canada: Chinese bus-ted in Richmond: Now English language also required at city bus shelters, on benches

[Harold Schiffman]

 Chinese bus-ted in Richmond: Now English language also required at city
bus shelters, on benches
Cheryl Chan
More from Cheryl Chan <http://vancouversun.com/author/provcherylchan>
Published on: September 28, 2016 | Last Updated: September 28, 2016 9:23 PM
PDT
[image: A Chinese-language sign at the Canada Line station at Richmond’s
Aberdeen Mall. The City of Richmond’s new signage policy would not take
effect at Canada Line stations, which come under the purview of TransLink
and not the city. Some Chinese-only ads on buses and Canada Line stations
have sparked outrage, but TransLink says it has no authority to deny
advertising on buses and transit stops on the basis of language.]

A Chinese-language sign at the Canada Line station at Richmond’s Aberdeen
Mall. The City of Richmond’s new signage policy would not take effect at
Canada Line stations, which come under the purview of TransLink and not the
city. Some Chinese-only ads on buses and Canada Line stations have sparked
outrage, but TransLink says it has no authority to deny advertising on
buses and transit stops on the basis of language. Mark van Manen / PNG
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English is now a must on bus stop ads in Richmond.

Richmond city council recently signed a contract with Pattison Outdoor Ltd.
stipulating that any advertising with a foreign language at bus shelters
and benches must have at least 50 per cent English.

“It seems to be reasonable to expect that as we want people to have signage
on their businesses in English, we want to have it, too, in our bus
shelters,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie.

The new 20-year contract, which went into effect this month, is the latest
development in an ongoing issue over signage in a city where half of its
residents identify as ethnically Chinese.

The new requirement comes more than a year after city council ditched a
proposed bylaw mandating English-language signs for stores and businesses
in favour of education and outreach, partly because of concerns over a
Charter of Rights challenge.

Regulating language at bus stops appears to face fewer hurdles.

“In this case, because the bus shelters are on city property and exist in a
contract arrangement, we had a higher level of control,” said city
spokesman Ted Townsend.

The city had been vocal in expressing its preference for at least 50 per
cent English on bus stop ads in the past, he said, but when the contract
expired last year council asked staff to formalize the requirement in its
request-for-proposal.

Chinese-only signs on bus stop shelters weren’t a widespread problem, with
only three or four cases in the last two years, Townsend said. In January,
a Budweiser ad predominantly in Chinese outside Richmond City Hall was
pulled down after councillor Chak Au raised concerns.

Some Chinese-only ads on buses and Canada Line stations have sparked
outrage, but TransLink says it has no authority to deny advertising on
buses and transit stops on the basis of language.

“We don’t have any sign legislation requiring the province or
municipalities to enforce signage in any one of our two official language
in Canada,” TransLink spokesman Chris Bryan said in an e-mail. “If people
want to advertise, as long as it meets our own advertising guidelines we
accept it.”

This fall the City of Richmond is expected to consider a new decluttering
bylaw, targeting visual clutter such as posters, banners, ads on windows or
building facades, regardless of language.

Richmond resident Kerry Starchuk, who wants all commercial and business
signs in the city to include English or French, said the new stipulation is
a step in the right direction, but limited in its reach. “We’ve come a long
way from saying it’s not a problem … but there’s a lot of things this
doesn’t address,” she said.

Chinese-only signs on buses, mailed-in pamphlets and brochures, as well
as real-estate development signs remain unregulated, said Starchuk, who is
calling for a “language policy” from the federal, provincial and municipal
governments “that addresses the issues between the official languages and
all mother tongues that are spoken in Canada.”

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/chinese-bus-ted-in-richmond-now-english-language-also-required-at-city-bus-shelters-on-benches

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