A retired federal IT consultant has lost his bid for $19,500 in damages after claiming that English-only signage in government buildings caused him “stress” and a “loss of enjoyment of life.” Blacklock's Reporter says Michel Thibodeau, of Ottawa, argued in Federal Court that unilingual warnings like “caution wet floor” violated his rights under the Official Languages Act.Justice Peter Pamel dismissed the case, stating there was “no basis” for the claim. “I am not convinced Mr. Thibodeau is deserving of any of the remedies he seeks,” wrote Pamel. “I am dismissing Mr. Thibodeau’s application.”Thibodeau sought $1,500 for each of 13 alleged violations of bilingualism laws, which included signs and safety tape bearing warnings such as “caution,” “danger,” and “falling ice and snow.” The Department of Public Works acknowledged the signage was technically noncompliant but argued that the errors were minor, easily corrected, and caused no harm.In his submission to the court, Thibodeau wrote that the unilingual signage caused him significant distress. “I feel my rights are infringed when I am confronted with this type of unilingual English or predominantly English signage,” he said. “It causes me frustration, stress and loss of enjoyment of life. I suffered stress because my identity as a francophone was threatened and I felt like a second-class citizen.”Thibodeau has a history of legal actions involving language rights. In a 2014 Supreme Court case, he sought $18,982 in compensation after an Air Canada attendant mistakenly served him Sprite instead of 7-Up, citing it as a violation of his language rights.More recently, Thibodeau was awarded $11,000 in 2021 after filing a complaint about the St. John’s Airport Authority’s website wishing travelers “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” in English only. Notably, he had not visited the airport.In another case, Thibodeau received $8,900 in damages and costs from the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority after filing grievances, including a complaint about English-only identification badges worn by volunteers. Justice Sylvie Roussel noted in that case that Thibodeau “deliberately searched for violations of the Official Languages Act” online, stating he had identified “about 50 complaints in reserve” against the authority, potentially seeking $75,000 in damages.Despite past successes, the Federal Court found Thibodeau’s latest claim over English-only safety signage lacked merit. The judge’s decision underscored that while language rights are protected, not all breaches warrant compensation.
