Fly your flag no more? Chatham-Kent becomes the latest community to look at restrictions

Interest groups who want to raise a flag in at least two Ontario municipalities may be restricted after two civic motions proposed this month.

A municipal councillor in Chatham-Kent, Ont., has put forth a motion that proposes a restriction on any flags being raised in their civic centre apart from the national, provincial and municipal flags. This follows a similar proposal in the small town Norwich, Ont., after pride flags were burned last June. But for Chatham-Kent, the reasoning is different.

Coun. Rhonda Jubenville's proposal comes as a response to backlash after agreeing to fly the flag of anti-abortion group "Life in Motion" earlier this month. It's a decision Jubenville realized later had to go through the mayor. 

"There was a flag request sent to the council and mayor, and at this time, I hadn't been exposed to any flag requests," she said. "When the request came through, I responded immediately and I said, 'I think it's a great idea.'"

Jubenville said she soon realized that other councillors disagreed with her stance. When she asked about the policy, she said, she was told the mayor makes the sole decision on which flags are flown. 

Ultimately, the group's request was left unanswered. But the ongoing debate has led Jubenville to file the motion, which she said will allow for a more even playing field, hopefully avoiding situations like this one.

"I guess you could say I was backed up against a wall. [I was wondering] how do I make this fair to everybody? It might [still] get voted down, which I respect, but my core and who I am…I can't see any one group be discriminated against or alienated."

For interest groups within Chatham-Kent, the motion could hold implications for what they consider to be a democratic right.

"The flags that are being raised at city hall represent an expression of the many different groups and organizations that highlight the issues affecting them," said Thador Tekhli, a community builder with the Chatham-Kent Black Lives Matter chapter. 

During Black History Month, the emancipation flag gets raised.

"On the other hand, the city should perform its due diligence to ensure that they are not discriminating organizations but also ensure they are dismantling misinformation that can incite fear and cause division with our community," he said.

Jubenville said that if a pro-choice group were to approach her to fly their flag, she would have also approved it. 

"I just think everyone should have the opportunity and no one should be told no or ignored," she said. "I don't think that's the right way to handle this. We just should be neutral and let these organizations do their own things without any obstacles. I thought this might be the safest solution."

Chatham-Kent council will vote on Jubenville's motion on April 24, just one day before the town of Norwich votes on their own proposal. The Life in Motion group has not heard back on their request to raise their flag.