Small Ontario council officially votes to only fly civic flags in controversial bylaw battle

Politicians in the township of Norwich, Ont. voted to support a controversial bylaw forbidding non-civic flags, including Progress Pride flags, from being flown on municipal property Tuesday night.

The 3 to 2 vote that got the support of the mayor led to one councillor resigning at the end of the meeting in the small community located southeast of London. 

Coun. Alisha Stubbs had been advocating to fly Pride flags on township property and proposed proclaiming June Pride Month, which council did not support.

"I refuse to participate in this any longer, to the dog whistles and blatant discrimination, and to the hypocrisy of decisions made for peace while many citizens feel fear," Stubbs said as she packed her belongings.

The bylaw states that the township has an obligation to maintain neutrality and that messages communicated on township property, including municipal buildings and streetlight poles, may be considered community messages.

The only flags allowed to be flown under the new bylaw are the Canadian flag, the provincial flag of Ontario and Norwich's municipal flag. 

'Opens up a floodgate'

A section of the proposed bylaw initially stated that hockey flags for the municipality's junior and minor teams would be allowed at the community centre and an exemption would also be made for foreign dignitaries. All councillors took issue with that and it was removed before the final vote. 

"I agree with this bylaw up until the hockey flags. We want to stay politically, culturally and religiously neutral," said Coun. Adrian Couwenberg, who voted to support the motion. 

The motion was originally proposed in April by Coun. John Scholten who argued that allowing a diversity of flags, representing a particular group or ideology, only serves to divide people. In the weeks that have followed, other municipal leaders in the region have contested Scholten's argument, a human rights complaint has been lodged and others have reaffirmed their commitment to Pride.

At Tuesday's meeting, Norwich resident Jennifer Wild spoke to council about the impact of the bylaw on LGBTQ youth, and how it will isolate Norwich among southwestern Ontario municipalities. 

"This bylaw is dividing us, we're isolating ourselves from a huge community and a group of people that can bring money and resources," Wild said. "People are already leaving Norwich because they don't want to live here."

Coun. Shawn Gear, who also voted against the bylaw, said he worries how Norwich will be perceived stating it will "open the flood gates."

"By doing this we also open ourselves up to losing sponsorships and lose potential funds because their [businesses'] values don't align with ours. We need to find a better direction here," Gear said.  

Gear also questioned if the phrasing of the bylaw means that people who put up yard sale or business ads on township poles will be fined. Mayor Jim Palmer had no answer to the query.