Pride Flags to Be Raised in Place of Canadian Flags in West Nipissing
Council approves temporary replacement of five Canadian flags for the month of June.
To mark the beginning of Pride Month, the West Nipissing Pride Committee will raise six Pride flags across the municipality. This year, five Canadian flags will be temporarily removed to make space for the Pride flags, following council’s recent approval.
In previous years, council authorized the Pride flag to be flown at Minnehaha Bay on a separate pole from the Canadian flag.
Last year, council agreed that a formal flag policy should be developed, in response to flag-related debates in several nearby municipalities. However, a finalized policy has not yet been adopted.
In East Ferris last year, the municipal council voted 3–2 against flying the Pride flag at town hall. The local group initially requested that the flag be flown for the entire month of June, then revised the request to just one day (June 1). In both cases, council rejected the motions.
The town of Powassan also experienced public debate in 2023 after the local library chose to fly the Pride flag. Some residents and councillors voiced opposition, prompting Powassan’s council to begin work on a clearer flag policy to help guide future decisions.
The issue gained wider attention in the Simcoe region when Canadian flags at area schools were temporarily replaced with Pride flags. That move sparked a student-led petition calling for the Canadian flags to be reinstated.
With growing public discussions around national symbols and inclusion, the decision in West Nipissing may generate debate within the community.
The five Canadian flags set to be temporarily removed are located in River Valley, Field, Verner, North Monetville, and Cache Bay. Council unanimously approved the motion at its May 20 meeting which also requested that the municipality pay $458 for the five additional flags being raised.
Ceremonies to mark the flag replacements are scheduled for today.
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What is going on with our Coucil. Have they lost their mind. The Canadian flag should not be removed for ANY reason.
This is wrong....very wrong. Our official, legal CANADIAN flag represents every citizen. It does not discriminate based on sexual choices but we are supposed to look at a flag that does not include me?? This is unacceptable. I cannot believe that this slipped by without public input.