I have written in the past of Americans (usually Veterans) who have run afoul of HOA 'rules' when they have flown their American flags proudly, only to be told they are 'not allowed.' because it 'spoils' the look of their homes, or some such nonsense.
It seems that this is happening in Canada, too. Hot on the heels of an Edmonton man (yes, a Veteran) being fined $250 for his contravention of local rules telling him where and when he can fly the flag he fought for, a MP is now steering a private member's bill through Ottawa to enshrine Canadians' rights to fly their flag. From the National Post:
Wavin’ flag: Bill to protect right to fly Canadian flag nears royal assent
Jake Edmiston
Jun 24, 2012Bill C-288, dubbed the National Flag of Canada Act, passed through its final Senate reading on Monday and is expected to receive royal assent next week.
Conservative MP John Carmichael says he hopes the new law will settle disputes between condo boards and residents nationwide.
He presented the bill in the House of Commons in September 2011 after hearing complaints from “a dozen or so” tenants living across Ontario who were barred from hanging flags from their balconies because they were seen as an affront to the building aesthetic.
“I found that Canadians in fact don’t have the right to fly the flag, they assume it twice a year: Canada Day and Flag Day on Feb. 15,” Mr. Carmichael said of his motives at the flag-raising celebration held at CNIB headquarters in Toronto on Friday. “The more I got into it, I realized it was a problem.”
The latest complaint came to the MP’s attention from an Edmonton couple who were fined $250 by their condo board for failing to remove a Canadian flag windsock from their balcony. William Nienhuis, 72, put up copies of the fine notice he received from the condo board, with “No Freedom” written overtop.
He was fined another $250 for littering....
Unbelievable that this should even NEED to be legislated, but there it is. For the rest of this sorry story, go here.
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