Northern Ontario town rejects request to display Pride flag for third consecutive week
Three attempts to raise a pride flag on municipal property have been rejected in a northern Ontario town over the past three weeks.
Deputy Mayor Lauren Rooyakkers of East Ferris initially proposed on March 19 to have the pride flag flown for the entire month of June.
Although the council voted 3-2 against the motion on March 26, Rooyakkers immediately requested a reconsideration.
“I don’t see the necessity for flying that flag,” Kelly added, suggesting that groups representing larger portions of the population were content with the Canadian or provincial flags.
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“I think it could lead to discord among our 4,900 residents,” Councilor Steven Trahan expressed his concerns, emphasizing the potential for disruption in comparison to other flag-raising occasions like Remembrance Day.
“There will always be conflicting opinions within the community,” Rooyakkers stated, acknowledging the existing divisions among the municipality.
Ultimately, only Rooyakkers and the mayor voted in favor of the motion.
Second Vote
A second vote on raising the pride flag was required after resident Jack Doherty presented an identical motion on March 28.
Prior to the vote, Rooyakkers addressed Kelly’s use of the term “splinter group,” arguing that the LGBTQ community had broad support beyond just a small fraction of the population.
She also highlighted the town’s previous acts of solidarity, such as raising a flag for Ukraine, despite only a few individuals being involved in that cause.
Despite different perspectives on inclusivity and representation, the council voted against the motion once again.
Earlier this year, a small Alberta community faced a similar dilemma and conducted a plebiscite on flying pride flags and painting crosswalks in rainbow colors.
Westlock’s plebiscite on Feb. 23 resulted in passing a neutrality bylaw, prohibiting non-governmental flags on town flagpoles and restricting the design of town crosswalks to the traditional white-striped pattern.
A group of residents advocated for these changes, gathering 700 signatures on a petition, in a town with a population of 7,186 according to the 2021 census data.
Andrew Chen contributed to this report.
