Flag raising coming on Jan. 20

BY KAREN BEST

Friday, December 29, 2006 - 09:00
Haldimand Review
CALEDONIA

Gary McHale is coming back to Caledonia once again, with the intent to hang Canadian flags across from Douglas Creek Estates.

He said he expects to be joined by veterans in his next mission to attach the national flag on poles where native flags have flown since October.

A Richmond Hill resident, McHale said he hopes 500 people join him at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 20. After he and Mark Vandermaas of London were arrested on Dec. 16 for attempting to put up flags near DCE, more people became interested, he said.

“It seems like people out of the blue are suddenly prepared to join,” said McHale, who operates the Caledonia Wake Up Call website. “They’re fed up that you can be arrested for putting up a Canadian flag.”

The event is to be completely non-violent, but he said he wants about 50 people to be willing to be arrested by OPP for putting up a Canadian flag.

McHale said he would call off the flag campaign if OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino held a public meeting prior to Jan. 20 to explain why Canadian flags are illegal and native flags are not. As long as the commissioner seriously attempts to explain it, McHale will back off from the flag event, he said. The explanation does not have to be something McHale agrees with, he said. Fantino was unavailable for comment on Dec. 29.

The Caledonia flag-raising campaign began with town residents on Dec. 2. They, too, were denied the opportunity to put flags up on wooden poles across from DCE, occupied by some Six Nations people since Feb. 28.

OPP did allow them to hang flags on Argyle Street North and on Argyle Street South south of the Sixth Line, which is the southern boundary of DCE. On the south end of town, all but one flag was removed the next day. A Caledonia resident saw a native walking off with a flag in plain view of OPP and asked for it back but was refused.

The following week the residents replaced the missing flags which remain on poles. On Dec. 16, McHale came to town to push for equality under the law by having Canadian flags hanging where native flags were across from DCE, he said.

Hydro One spokesperson Daffyd Roderick said that some signs and flags are posted on Hydro One Network poles on the west side of Argyle Street South in and around DCE. The Ontario utility also owns poles on the west side of Argyle Street North at the Hamilton end of town.

“While Hydro One Networks does have the right to remove signs placed on its property without permission, the circumstances in Caledonia at this time are such that Hydro One Networks will not be taking any steps to remove the signs,” said Roderick.

The wooden poles on the east side of Argyle Street South across from DCE belong to Haldimand County Hydro. When asked about the pole and flag issue, Hydro president Lloyd Payne referred to a 1993 Supreme Court ruling. The court said preventing people from attaching posters to poles contravened freedom of expression, he said. Since then, municipalities were able to pass bylaws controlling what could go on poles, he said.

When items are attached to poles, county Hydro concerns centre on damage and safety to the public or hydro linesmen, said Payne.

On the north side of town, flags on the east side of Argyle Street North are on Haldimand County Hydro and Bell Canada poles.

“We have no plans to do anything about the flags that are on our poles at this time — either set of flags,” said Payne.