SUNDRE – The Town of Sundre's council unanimously approved a revised policy that limits the banners that can be flown on town-owned masts to the Canadian, provincial, and municipality’s flags.
Originally passed in 2017, the policy had for the past few years been on the docket for an update, ultimately coming up for review prior to being officially adopted last last month during a regular meeting attended by all members of council.
In 2021, a customized banner promoting the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day campaign was for the first time unfurled at the municipal office alongside the Canada and Alberta flags.
While council unanimously supported the proclamation recognizing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day the following year in 2022, there were differences of opinion as to whether the flag should be flown at the town office as opposed to somewhere else. A decision to grant a local group’s request to fly the banner ultimately passed by just one vote.
In 2023, the flag would go on to be flown at the Sundre and District Museum.
“The discussion (at the time) was that somewhere in the future we had to address that as a council or a municipality,” mayor Richard Warnock told the Albertan.
“(The policy) has just laid in limbo because policies weren’t being looked at,” said Warnock.
As there more recently was a push to update existing as well as introduce some new policies, “it was agreed by administration that we should get that one finished,” he said.
The policy was in part revised “to ensure that all flags at municipal facilities are an all-inclusive representation of the community under the Town of Sundre flag, flown and displayed in a consistent and appropriate manner in accordance with accepted national and provincial flag protocols and guidelines.”
During the Feb. 24 meeting, Coun. Connie Anderson moved to approve the amended policy.
“We discussed this, and it was a very good idea to just let the flags fly that we fly because it represents everybody in town no matter what’s going on, whether the seniors or the alphabet group or anything else under the sun,” said Anderson.
“We fly our normal flags, and that covers us all,” he said.
Coun. Owen Petersen agreed.
“I found the previous policy problematic when it talked about community flags not being political,” said Petersen.
“I don’t see how a flag can’t be political … it can just be politicized instantly,” he said.
The councillor spoke in favour of the simplification to have three flags – the town, province and nation and “we don’t get embroiled in the problems that can come from community flags.”
Coun. Todd Dalke, who joined the meeting remotely by teleconference, noted a reference of “banners of organizations” under the policy’s section pertaining to the precedence and position of flags.
“Does that definition open this policy up to the requirement of flying any flag?” asked Dalke.
“That’s a good point, we should probably strike that bullet point out,” said Linda Nelson, chief administrative officer.
Council agreed and the policy was carried unopposed.
Offering further clarification during an interview with the Albertan, the mayor said the policy applies specifically to flagmasts on town properties.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be at the office either,” said Warnock.
However, while the municipality has a spare flagpole in storage, it has not yet been installed anywhere.
“There was discussion about where in town it could be put, like, for example, at the gazebo or somewhere else in town,” he said, adding a final decision has yet to be made.
And the flagpoles flying international banners that run along the south side of Highway 27-Main Avenue to the east and west of the Red Deer River Bridge are Crown land, he said.
“There is no other flagpole that I’m aware of that the town has that are available right now, other than the ones that are at the town office.”
Nevertheless, the policy provides a consistent approach “so administration doesn’t have to try and distinguish or interpret what’s happening at the time,” he said.
And that’s not to say that other banners from World Elder Abuse Awareness Day to the Pride flag or pretty well anything else cannot be flown – just not on town masts.
“It’s hard to regulate what happens on private property, as long as it doesn’t become criminal intent or anything like that,” he said.
In response to follow-up questions, the Sundre museum’s executive director said she was unaware of any request to fly the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day banner in 2024.
Carrie Couch also noted that the Sundre and District Historical Society passed a motion late in 2023 adopting a policy to fly at the historic village grounds only the flags of the Town of Sundre, Canada, and Alberta.
