OTTAWA- An embarrassing translation error on promotional posters for a City of Ottawa initiative has turned heads in downtown Ottawa, after a single missing letter completely altered the meaning of a French word.
The city recently installed purple-colored posters to promote its “Street Seats” pilot program, also known as “Uncommon Spaces.” The initiative involves closing off three sections of Centretown to vehicular traffic to create dedicated public spaces for community gatherings and events.
However, sharp-eyed residents and social media users quickly pointed out a major typo on the French-language signs. Instead of reading “Placettes Publiques” (Public Spaces), the signs read “Placettes Pubiques,” missing the letter “L.” The omission changes the word from “public” to an anatomical reference, creating the exact same awkward and inappropriate translation error that would occur if the letter “L” were dropped from the English word “public.”
As of Saturday afternoon, about a dozen of these posters were spotted lined up along Bank Street, all carrying the same French spelling mistake. Local media outlets have reached out to the City of Ottawa for an official comment regarding the oversight and plans for removal.
This is not the first time the city has faced scrutiny over its official messaging. According to a City of Ottawa report, there were 24 formal complaints regarding French-language communications in 2025, with 16 of those instances directly related to signage and display errors.
