ACW Council adopts three-flag policy, shutting down Pride flag possibility
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (ACW) has finally adopted a formal community flag-raising policy that restricts the municipality from flying any flag other than the National flag of Canada, the Provincial flag of Ontario, and the Township flag.
At its most recent meeting, council received a staff report from Clerk Florence Witherspoon outlining two possible options for council. The first would allow council to receive and entertain requests from community groups seeking a symbol of support from ACW, and the other would automatically deny all flag-flying requests from the community. The need for a formal flag-raising policy is a recent development in ACW that arose due to very vocal opposition to the flying of the Pride flag from a small group of community members that vehemently insist that ACW must stick to a “three-flag-only” policy.
Councillor Jennifer Miltenberg and Mayor Glen McNeil both spoke in favour of looking at each community flag-raising request, assessing each on the basis of its own individual merits, and voting on a request-by-request basis, but both Miltenberg and McNeil had a few recommendations for minor changes to the draft policy that they felt would add clarity to the policy.
However, Deputy-Mayor Bill Vanstone had a different approach to the potential policy, choosing instead to advocate against showing support to marginalized community groups seeking support from their elected officials. “I’ve got nothing against any of the other flags, but there’s a whole lot of people that have had problems with us flying flags, and you know, so anyways, I’d like to see is - just go with the three flags. We’ve got the Union Jack, we’ve got the Canadian flag, we’ve got the Township flag, and, you know, we’ll fly them at half mast if somebody dies, and I think it respects everything that we want to respect. It also takes away a lot of staff time,” he explained. “I honestly just believe that if we go with the three flags that we have there, it will be more than adequate for the community... simple is better. We’re looking after everything. It will be very good, and very simple.”
Councillor Evan Hickey weighed in with his prepared remarks on the issue, saying, “Three flags represent all - I think they’re inclusive to everybody across the township. I don’t think Option 1 will fix any issues we’ve had in the past with flag-flying requests,” he explained. To date, the only community group to request the flying of a flag in ACW has been Huron County Pride. Hickey pointed out that, in the future, theoretical Pro-Life and Pro-Choice groups might both want to fly their hypothetical flags in ACW. “I’m Christian - come Easter time, if I ask for a flag for that, it’s an automatic ‘no’ because it’s religious. It was brought up about the Pride flag - PRIDE - Personal Rights, Defense, and Education. If you go back, the start of Pride was established in 1966 as a radical gay and political organization. It led aggressive, unapologetic demonstrations. The group has evolved, as I understand, from the original, but we live in a world now where we look back, and we have to correct... the past does matter, and how do we support Pride, then?” Hickey concluded by pointing out that council and staff have better things to do than worry about things as trivial as flags.
Councillor Curtis Blake, who appeared at the meeting virtually, also has some remarks for council. “It doesn’t matter whether you agree or disagree with the cause, or what the organization represents - choosing a stance makes some people upset, and some people happy. And that can be very divisive. So, I think it’s extremely important for the township to stay out of the situation all together.”
Miltenberg questioned Vanstone’s vagaries in regards to the various complaints he’s received about community group flag requests, of which there had only been one - the Pride flag. “I’m not sure who the problem people were, but there were people who didn’t have problems with it, and that muddies the water.”
She also questioned Hickey’s impromptu history lesson. “It’s been very clear, for hundreds of years of democracies, that religion and state must be separate. In almost every democracy in the world... I’m a little taken aback that we’re going to reference how a movement started 70 years ago in response to discrimination. If you look at lots of things, and how they started, including civil rights, it was often violence in response to violence.”
Councillor Anita Snobelen pointed out that policies should make things clear and simple. “I agree that we should have a policy on the flying of flags, and I fully support Option 1.”
McNeil added that ACW and Huron County are places of equality, diversity, and inclusion. “Everyone is welcome in Huron County. And everyone belongs in Huron County. There is no place for discrimination or prejudice against anyone. We are an open county. We have asked our staff to bring back a policy, which they have done. I think we need to be very open-minded with this.”
Vanstone added that he was very “out” in the local community, where he encounters many who are vocally against inclusive flag policies on a municipal level. “Why not just fly the three flags and be done with it?” he queried. Snobelen responded to his comment, saying “I’m sure the constituents that you talk to are very pleased that you give them an open ear, but I dare to say that most of us are out in the community, talking to people. Perhaps we’re talking to different people, and we hear different things.”
Councillor Wayne Forster revealed that he has recently been receiving phone calls from constituents that have been taking the new “keep it simple” approach to the flag diversity opposition movement, but also pointed out that he didn’t care either way in terms of municipal flags. Despite his declared lack of investment in the contentious community issue, Forster’s tie-breaking vote was the one that formally brought an end to ACW’s long debate over the raising of flags in support of their community.
McNeil made a final pitch for inclusion and respect in ACW, which fell on deaf ears. Vanstone then put forth a motion that council choose to only fly the already-approved government flags, which was seconded by Hickey. McNeil, Snobelen and Miltenberg voted in favour of considering community flag raising requests, but were outvoted by Vanstone, Blake, Hickey and Forster.