Agency store operators in anglophone areas could struggle with N.B. language ruling

Some rural ANBL agency stores are concerned with a recent language ruling in New Brunswick.

Tourists will be soon stopping in New Brunswick communities like Hillsborough, Riverside-Albert and Alma to gas up and make purchases at Alcool NB Liquor (ANBL) agency stores, but that could be a problem for store owners in the rural area that is almost entirely English speaking.

New Brunswick’s political parties have come out in support of a recent ruling from the province’s commissioner of official languages, which says ANBL must offer bilingual service at its agency locations, which are operated by third parties.

Crooked Creek Convenience gas bar manager Gabriel Piqugard said getting bilingual employees could be a problem for some agencies like his in Riverside-Albert.

“There’s communities, like, near here that don’t have a lot of French speaking (people) and getting people to work here that have French, it’s already a problem just getting workers,” said Piqugard.

Piqugard said they get by the best they can.

“We don’t have anyone on staff that actually speaks French right now, but our French speaking base here is very minimal,” said Piqugard.

Graham Copp, owner of the Fundy General Store in Alma, said he’s “not a fan” of the language ruling.

“We’re having a hard enough time hiring anybody to work, let alone somebody that can speak French,” said Copp. “We’ve always had a problem with hiring, especially in small places like Alma.”

Copp said he’s hoping the ruling won’t go through and the province will realize it’s not something that will work for stores in small communities.

CTV News Atlantic reported last week that a ruling from Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages was a result of a complaint made in February 2025 at an ANBL agency store in Saint-Antoine.

Mathieu Caissie said he visited an Irving Circle K in Saint-Antoine to buy a bottle of wine and asked for service in French, but was told it was only available in English.

“There were three employees and I said, ‘So nobody can speak to me in French?’ and the answer was, ‘We only speak English,’” Caissie told CTV News last Friday.

The commissioner of official languages investigated the complaint and found ANBL agency stores must comply with the province’s Official Languages Act because it provides service on behalf of a Crown corporation.

On Friday, commissioner Shirley MacLean told CTV News the Official Languages Act includes third parties.

“If a government institution hires a third party to conduct work that the institution is required to do, then that third party has the same obligations as the institution,” said MacLean.

At an ANBL agency store in Norton, a staff member told CTV News Atlantic on Wednesday they were unaware of the languages ruling and as of right now they would not be able to provide service in French.

Piqugard said offering service at the store in Riverside-Albert is generally not an issue.

“NB Liquor offers all of their signage, everything is bilingual, same with all the labels, so we do what we can,” he said. “I’ve never had a problem in the eight years I’ve been here.”

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Josh Smith and Nick Moore

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