Toronto City Council has approved a ban on flying foreign flags at City Hall and civic centres, marking a significant shift in civic display policies. The decision passed Thursday night with a 19-7 vote on a motion introduced by Councillor John Burnside of Don Valley East and seconded by Michael Thompson of Scarborough Centre.
Motion Details and Timeline
The motion, titled “One Country, One Flag; Celebrating the Canadian Flag,” initially sought an immediate end to raising flags of foreign nations. Council amended it to also prohibit any flags depicting a foreign nation’s emblem, with the ban taking effect on December 1, 2026. Pre-booked flag raisings will proceed until that date.
This move aligns with a similar policy in Calgary, where council voted 8-7 last December to restrict foreign flags. “Your council has banned the flying of foreign flags, which have become symbols of hate and division,” stated Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas at the time.
Exceptions to the Ban
The policy exempts flags of Indigenous and Treaty partners, the Intersex Pride flag, the Black Liberation flag, professional sports organizations, and cities in Toronto’s International Alliance program. Council also dropped a proposal to eliminate flags requested by non-profits and charities.
Opposition Voices Diversity Concerns
Councillor Lily Cheng opposed the motion, stating, “I really struggle with this decision because we live in the most diverse city in the world … Diversity is hard, and just because something is hard doesn’t mean we should shy away from it. In fact, we should embrace the difficulties, because that’s how we build trust and relationships.” She added, “I understand why we want to do this because there’s safety implications and costs with policing, but I do feel we are taking away one of the pillars of how we make this city beautiful in terms of the diversity and the tapestries that we weave together.”
Councillor Nick Mantas echoed these sentiments: “We’re basically penalizing 160 countries that we recognize in our city for a few groups. So I’m against the way that we’re going about this.”
Ruling on Iran Flag Motion
In a related matter, Council Speaker Frances Nunziata deemed out of order a motion by Councillor Cheng to raise Iran’s pre-Revolutionary “lion and sun” flag at North York Civic Centre. Nunziata explained it overstepped delegated authority and encroached on federal jurisdiction, as the flag lacks recognition from Global Affairs Canada. “Council cannot make a determination that is within the jurisdiction of Global Affairs Canada,” she ruled. “For these reasons, I rule (the motion) out of order.”
Recent Flag Raisings and Controversies
This year, City Hall’s courtesy flag pole has hosted various banners, including the Empower2Recover flag for mental health awareness, Scouts Canada for Scout/Guide week, the Irish flag for St. Patrick’s Day, and independence flags for Grenada, Kosovo, Saint Lucia, Estonia, and the Dominican Republic. The Toronto Blue Jays flag flew recently for the team’s home opener.
While most of over 70 annual raisings pass quietly, some spark tension. Last November, after Canada’s recognition of Palestine, the Palestinian flag’s raising drew protests from Jewish groups. Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith’s director of research and advocacy, called it “not only insensitive but also reckless and irresponsible,” citing the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s ideology as promoting antisemitism and violence.
In 2024, Mayor Olivia Chow skipped Israel’s flag raising for its national day, citing the Gaza conflict: “I think it’s a bit divisive because there’s a war going on.”
