A Federal Court judge has thrown out a lawsuit by an Ottawa language activist who claimed French being listed last on a razor blade disposal bin at the airport violated his rights.Blacklock's Reporter says Justice Benoit Duchesne dismissed the claim from Michael Moreau, a frequent litigant in language rights cases, and ordered him to pay $1,260 in costs. “This proceeding shall be dismissed,” wrote Duchesne, siding with airport lawyers who argued the case was frivolous and without merit.Moreau complained that the bin label placed English first, followed by Spanish, with French “dead last.” .He argued the order “exacerbates existing disadvantages” faced by francophones and failed to reflect Canada’s bilingual framework. He demanded a written apology from the airport’s CEO.The court noted there is no regulation under the Official Languages Act governing the placement of text on signs.Federal courts have seen a steady stream of similar cases. In 2021, activist Michel Thibodeau was awarded $11,000 after the St. John’s Airport website wished travelers “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” in English only. Thibodeau has launched dozens of complaints, including one that won him nearly $9,000 from Edmonton’s airport over unilingual volunteer ID badges.In one ruling, a judge wrote Thibodeau “deliberately searched for violations” of language law online and at one point had about 50 complaints prepared, seeking $1,500 apiece.
