City Council approves new flags for Confederation Park

Kingston City Council has unanimously approved a motion which will see the Nation flags of the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, the Huron-Wendat, the Métis, as well as the Franco-Ontarian flag permanently installed at Confederation Park.

The newly updated Flag Display Policy was approved at last night’s Council meeting, Tuesday, Jun. 7, 2022.

“Flags are a clear and visible statement of respect for and acknowledgment of the presence and value of a community,” reads the report to Council presented at the meeting. “As such, the City of Kingston’s Flag Display Policy needs to be updated in order to better reflect the cultural diversity of its residents as well as to acknowledge the land and traditional territory on which the City is situated.”

According to a release from the City, the three First Nation flags acknowledge the traditional territories that overlay the lands in and around Kingston and the enduring relationship between these Nations and the Kingston community. The fourth flag recognizes the ongoing vibrancy of the Métis Nation of Ontario in this region. The Franco-Ontarian flag symbolizes a shared commitment toward the Francophone community of Kingston and serves to acknowledge the historic French roots of the city.

The City said that the new policy also recognizes four occasions where the City will automatically raise a community flag. Those occasions are:

• March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility
• June 15, Kingston Pride
• June 21, National Indigenous People’s Day
• Sept. 30, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

“Flags are powerful symbols that connect and unite communities, and I’m proud that the City of Kingston has taken this historic step to update our policy,” said Mayor Bryan Paterson. “This updated policy will better reflect the cultural diversity of Kingston’s residents as well as acknowledge the land and traditional territory on which the city is situated.”

Updating the policy involved working with City departments and the community, the City stated. According to the release, it was led by the City’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion office with the support of the City’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

“This is an important update, and is driven by a commitment to reconciliation, to honouring our shared path and to building a city that that supports equity, diversity and inclusion,” said Muhammad Ahsan Manager of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Flagpoles to accommodate the new flags will be installed in the latter half of 2023, while community flag raisings will begin in June 2022. Capital funding for the additional flag pole installation will be requested as part of the 2023 capital budget, according to the report to Council.