Proposal bans Pride, religious, and other third-party flags
LAURIE WEIR
The Township of Rideau Lakes is adopting an all-or-nothing stance when it comes to flying flags.
At a regular council meeting on Feb. 3, Coun. Jeff Banks introduced a notice of motion that would ban all third-party flags in the township, allowing only the Canadian, provincial, and municipal flags. This policy would make an exception for third-party flags flown on the Rideau Historical Society naval mast in Portland’s Hanna Park, which may also display the Royal Canadian Navy flag and the Kingsmill Crest flag.
Under the proposed policy, flags for Pride, United Way, Ukraine, and similar causes would no longer be allowed. It wasn’t until 2019 that the township raised the Pride flag for the first time.
Deputy Mayor Paula Banks expressed support for the motion and inquired if other municipalities followed a similar “no flag” policy. “I think we should either fly them all or none of them,” she said. “It’s too hard to fly them all because there are always people who are upset about one or another.”
Mayor Arie Hoogenboom stated that he views the current flag policy as “reasonable and fair” and noted that he supports organizations like United Way and Pride.
“I know some of them are controversial,” he said. “But I think it’s not unreasonable for the township to fly those flags in one location — at the municipal offices.”
The motion to revise the flag policy was approved and will be finalized at a future meeting.