By Calvi Leon
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The London Free Press
Municipal politicians in Norwich recently approved a controversial motion to ban non-government flags, including Pride flags, on any municipal property, while rejecting a separate push to declare June as Pride month.
This rural Southwestern Ontario township’s five-person council debate drew a large crowd of LGBTQ-plus community members to the meeting chambers. Dozens more waved rainbow flags outside while others, some with pro-Trump and People’s Party of Canada flags, dotted the property.
“I simply need to look at our federal, provincial and municipal flags to see everything we need to maintain the unity that is already there,” Coun. John Scholten said of the motion to allow only government flags on municipal property, including streetlight poles.
“By flying these flags alone on township property, we can coexist in peace and harmony no matter who we are or what we believe. To open the door to flying flags that represent any particular group or organization or ideology will only divide rather than unite.”
The motion had originally explicitly stated the ban covers “Progress or Pride banners” though that wording was removed from the motion on which politicians voted.
“This entire situation right now is sneaky. It’s demeaning. It’s non-transparent. It’s unethical. It goes further beyond our code of conduct as councillors,” Coun. Alisha Stubbs said.
Amid boos from the public gallery, council voted 3-2 to approve the flag ban. Scholten, Mayor Jim Palmer, and Coun. Adrian Couwenberg supported the ban. Stubbs and Coun. Shawn Gear were opposed.
Palmer said he supported banning non-government flags in Norwich because it’s what residents wanted. “As the mayor, I have to support the people in my township. There are far, far more people on that side than on the other side.”
Council concluded the three-hour meeting by voting down a motion introduced by Stubbs to proclaim June as Pride month, prompting the head of Oxford County’s Pride organization to storm out of council chambers at one point.
“It’s disgusting. I’m very disappointed for the 2SLGBTQ community,” the group’s president, Tami Murray, later said. “It sets us back. It’s regression.”
Added Pride board member Jorden Kent: “The council here should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for choosing to take the wrong side of this issue.”
Norwich, a community of 11,000 south of Woodstock, was thrust into the spotlight last summer following a series of anti-LGBTQ-plus incidents, including repeated theft and vandalism of Pride flags.
Tillsonburg business owner Jake Dey was charged with theft in May after multiple rainbow flags were stolen. Shortly after, he addressed Norwich council for 30 minutes in a speech that compared Pride and the LGBTQ-plus community to something out of Nazi Germany.
The charge against Dey was dropped in December.
The debate in Norwich came one day after politicians in Chatham-Kent rejected a similar motion to ban so-called special-interest flags from municipal buildings.
