Pride group to conduct campaign urging small P.E.I. town to fly rainbow flag

MONTAGUE, P.E.I. – A rush delivery of rainbow flags and signs is on its way to a small town in Prince Edward Island — a province led by an openly gay premier — after the town council’s refusal to raise the pride flag.

The town of Montague recently declined a request from Pride P.E.I. on the basis that it refuses to fly flags other than the provincial, Canadian and municipal banners – a position that the provincial pride chair says is a “snub.”

“We’re obviously pretty disappointed in the whole situation. The excuses they’ve been giving haven’t been that great,” said Tyler Murnaghan in a telephone interview.

“I know in a lot of other municipalities it’s not an issue. They say, ‘Tell us when you want it (the flag) raised,’ and it is raised,” he said.

Charlottetown has agreed to fly the rainbow flag, as have most of the larger towns in the province, which elected Wade MacLauchlan as Liberal premier in a convincing victory last year.

Murnaghan said members of the pride events organizing committee will travel to the community, about 42 kilometres east of Charlottetown, on Thursday to hand out rainbow pride flags to businesses.

He said plans are also underway for a local company to print lawn signs stating Montague residents support gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Islanders.

Mayor Richard Collins said his town council decided last year it would cease flying flags in support of groups, whatever their merits, as each request was taking time at council meetings.

“We don’t do proclamations and we don’t fly flags for other organizations. We’re not excluding one particular group,” he said.

“The Town of Montague is a very loving, caring, peaceful community. We love everybody the same. Everybody is equal. Everybody is on the same playing field.”

“I suppose the Heart Society, the Cancer Society … are all disappointed too, but they’re not vocal,” he added.

The mayor it would be up to town councillors to decide if the policy is revisited, adding there is a meeting on Monday.

The nearby town of Souris also hasn’t raised the flag yet, but the chief administrative officer Shelley LaVie said in an email it hasn’t been asked and added that Souris has flown flags for other organizations in the past.

Other small towns across the country have gradually started to raise the flags, as organizers of pride events have started sending requests for events to be held outside of larger centres.

The community of Truro, N.S., recently made history by holding its first-ever Pride Parade.

Organizers said about 700 people turned out for the Pride Parade in Truro last Saturday, and the rainbow flag was raised outside the town’s office last week.

Less than a decade ago, a human rights complaint was filed against the town’s then-mayor for refusing to fly a gay pride flag.

Towns in Manitoba’s so-called Bible Belt have also started organizing pride marches and events this summer, though pockets of opposition remain.

Steinbach, Man., a community of about 14,000 south of Winnipeg, held its first ever pride march this year. However, the area’s member of parliament declined to attend, citing his religious beliefs.

Brandon, Manitoba’s second-largest city, saw its first pride parade last year.

— By Michael Tutton in Halifax.

Follow @mtuttoncporg on Twitter.