By paNOW

Council waves goodbye to guest flagpole policy

May 29, 2018 | 9:00 AM

It is a courtesy no more.

A narrow 5-4 vote Monday night by Prince Albert City Council ended the longstanding “courtesy flagpole” policy, a decision which stems in part from a lawsuit alleging a violation of freedom of expression.

Mayor Greg Dionne’s motion to strip several sections from the city’s Flag Protocol Policy was on council’s agenda again Monday night after it failed to gain leave at a prior meeting. The mayor’s motion aimed to remove sections 6.02b, 6.04a and c, 6.05 and 6.07 from the policy, all of which relate to guest flags flown in Memorial Square outside of city hall.

A lawsuit was brought forward by the Prince Albert Right to Life Association in November of 2017 seeking to have the court overturn the city’s decision banning the group’s controversial anti-abortion flag from flying on the guest pole. Annual past raisings of the flag have generated protests and made international news headlines, with many criticizing the city for allowing the flag to fly. The anti-abortion group’s flag depicts a smiling cartoon fetus accompanied by the slogan “please let me live.”

The city has asked the organization in the past to amend the flag design but to no avail. Last year, when the group’s request to fly their flag was put on hold, city administrators denied them permission saying their flag was not nationally or provincially approved. When the topic came up for debate Monday, Dionne said it was not prudent for the city to spend money defending a free service, and simply eliminating the practice should end the city’s legal troubles.

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“It is sad we have to do this, but as the keeper of the purse I don’t think that we should be using taxpayer dollars to fight a case that we give away to the community for free,” he said.

Ward 5 Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick said not everyone agrees with the flag’s message, but the Right to Life group is a legitimate organization.

“It is a viewpoint,” Ogrodnick said. “Not all of us agree with that viewpoint, but if we want to live in a free and democratic society we have to allow people that disagree with us to have their viewpoint in a respectful way.”

Ogrodnick invoked Voltaire to back up his stance.

“I might not agree with a word you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” he said. “I agree with that statement. Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to follow that, and therefore I will support removing the flagpole.”

Ward 3 Coun. Evert Botha said he believed the legal costs could still be avoided if the group was instead urged to make amendments to the flag to make it more acceptable to fly.

“I do believe our Memorial Square is a meeting place where people can celebrate diversity, culture, likemindedness. I think if we follow the law of the land, then certain groups will be excluded out of this,” Botha said. “We are not going to allow the Aryan Brotherhood to fly their flag.”

After the meeting, Dionne told paNOW it was a “sad day for the City of Prince Albert” to lose its community flagpole, as many groups used it to promote their causes.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion … but it was easier at this point to eliminate the pole,” he said. “We will find other ways to recognize those groups.”
 

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr