Montreal, Quebec
Montreal business websites, French first
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- Last reviewed
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The short answer
A Montreal business serving the Quebec public must make its website available in French under the Charter of the French Language, as amended by Bill 96, and must meet Law 25's privacy obligations. Redenn builds Montreal sites remotely from Brampton with French as the primary language. The French copy itself is written by you or a professional translator, or quoted separately; we never publish machine translation that nobody has checked.
What is different about a business website in Montreal
- LanguageThe Charter of the French Language, as amended by Bill 96, requires businesses serving the Quebec public to make commercial websites and publications available in French. (Office québécois de la langue française)
- PrivacyQuebec Law 25 phased in privacy obligations for private-sector organizations between September 2022 and September 2024, including a designated privacy officer and privacy policies. (Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec)
- TaxAn online store applies 5% GST plus 9.975% QST to Quebec customers. Rates change and must be verified. (Canada Revenue Agency)
- PrivacyQuebec has private-sector privacy legislation recognized as substantially similar to PIPEDA, so provincial law governs most Montreal businesses. (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada)
- LanguageMontreal is majority French-speaking; its small-business base spans manufacturing, hospitality, construction and professional services.
Running a business website in Montreal: what is different
Language comes first. Under the Charter of the French Language, as amended by Bill 96, a business serving the Quebec public must make its commercial website available in French. An English version can sit alongside it, but French cannot be an afterthought or a partial translation. The Office québécois de la langue française is the authority, and we are not lawyers, so confirm your own situation with the OQLF or an advisor.
Privacy is the second difference. Law 25 phased in obligations for private-sector organizations between September 2022 and September 2024, including a designated privacy officer and published privacy policies, and Quebec's private-sector privacy law, rather than PIPEDA, governs most Montreal businesses. A store charges 5% GST plus 9.975% QST to Quebec customers. The table shows who does what on a Montreal launch.
| Requirement | Source | What Redenn builds | What you provide |
|---|---|---|---|
| French version of the site | Charter of the French Language (OQLF) | French as the primary language, French URLs and a language switcher | Professionally written or translated French copy |
| Privacy officer and privacy policy | Law 25 (CAI) | A privacy page linked site-wide and forms that ask only for what is needed | The designated person and policy text reviewed by your advisor |
| Sales tax at checkout | GST 5% + QST 9.975% (CRA; verify rates) | Tax set by customer province in the store | Your sales tax registration details |
| Consent for newsletters | CASL | An unticked consent box and an unsubscribe link | Your email platform account |
| Google Business Profile in French | Local search practice | French description, categories and structured data | Photos, hours and replies to reviews |
Which Redenn products fit Montreal businesses
Restaurants, cafés, salons and gyms usually fit Starter (CA$299) with booking (CA$99), in French and English. A bilingual site has close to twice the pages of a single-language one, and additional standard pages are CA$49 each, so the written quote shows that arithmetic openly rather than hiding it in a package. Retailers selling online start at Ecommerce from CA$1,499, with a French checkout and GST plus QST configured by province.
Manufacturers and professional firms fit Business (CA$499) or Business Plus (CA$799), where accurate French product or practice pages matter more than design flourishes. Before adding the AI Receptionist (from CA$149/month) or AI Website Chat (from CA$99/month) for Montreal customers, ask us to confirm in writing how it handles French for your use case; we will not promise French conversation we have not tested with you.
Local search in Montreal
Most Montreal searches are in French, and Google matches them to French content. Your Google Business Profile should be written in French, with French categories and a French description, and the website's French pages should be the main version, linked to their English equivalents with hreflang. Reply to each review in the language it was written in.
As in any large city, do not build a page for every neighbourhood. One strong Montreal page naming the areas you serve, such as Plateau-Mont-Royal, Rosemont, Villeray, Verdun or Saint-Laurent, beats a stack of near-copies. Search + AI Foundation (CA$299) adds entity clarity and a crawler policy for AI search engines; Google says its AI features rely on the core Search index, so clear French pages are the foundation. No ranking or citation is guaranteed.
How we work with Montreal clients
Redenn has no Montreal office. Our only office is in Brampton, Ontario, and Montreal projects run by video call, email and a shared project board. We run projects in English, so a French-speaking person on your team should approve the French content before launch. That review step is part of our launch checklist, not an optional extra.
Most Montreal sites are hosted on Redenn Business at CA$199/year; a store or booking system that needs a database moves to Redenn Dynamic at CA$49/month. The domain is registered in your name, and you own the code and analytics.
Common Montreal business types we build for
Questions from Montreal businesses
Can my Montreal website be English only?
If you serve the Quebec public, the Charter of the French Language requires your commercial website to be available in French. An English version can sit alongside it. Confirm your situation with the OQLF or an advisor.
Does Redenn write the French copy?
No. French copy is supplied by you or a professional translator you choose, or quoted separately. We build the French structure and need a French-speaking reviewer on your side.
What does Law 25 mean for my website?
Among other obligations, a designated privacy officer and published privacy policies. We build the privacy page and lean forms; the policy content and the officer are your responsibility, ideally with an advisor.
What tax does a Montreal online store charge?
5% GST plus 9.975% QST to Quebec customers, and each other province's rate by destination. Rates change, so verify before launch.
Does Redenn have a Montreal office?
No. Our only office is in Brampton, Ontario. Montreal projects run remotely.
Sources
- Charter of the French Language: obligations for businesses, Office québécois de la langue française. Accessed 2026-09-24.
- Law 25: protection of personal information in the private sector, Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec. Accessed 2026-09-24.
- GST/HST and provincial sales tax rates, Canada Revenue Agency. Accessed 2026-09-24.
- PIPEDA and substantially similar provincial legislation, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Accessed 2026-09-24.
- Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), Government of Canada. Accessed 2026-09-24.
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- Ecommerce DevelopmentA storefront you own, with catalogue, checkout, Canadian sales tax rules and shipping, from CA$1,499.
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- Booking SystemsCustomers pick a service and time, it lands in your calendar, both sides get a confirmation; CA$99 one-time.
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