CENTRAL MANITOULIN—A notice of motion was put forward at the August 10 meeting of Central Manitoulin council to revisit a decision made at the property committee level to not permit the raising of the Pride flag at the municipal flagpole in Mindemoya.
The motion to revisit the request from Pride Manitoulin to raise the flag was written as a “new motion,” thus making it easier to put on the floor (reconsideration of a passed motion would require larger council support).
The motion to add the request to the agenda was moved by Councillor Derek Stephens and seconded by Councillor Rose Diebolt and went to a recorded vote—Councillors Brian Mitchell, John Bisaillon and Mayor Richard Stephens voted against the motion, while Councillors Derek Stephens, Dale Scott, Linda Farquhar and Rose Diebolt voted in favour.
Added to new business, the motion came up for debate later in the meeting.
Councillors Stephens and Diebolt emphasized the decision to raise the Pride flag as an indicator of inclusivity. “Everybody counts in our community,” asserted Councillor Diebolt. During the debate it became clear that the original decision to turn down the Pride Manitoulin request hinged on the cost of the flag (estimated at $40). Both Councillor Stephens and Diebolt offered to pony up the cost between them, but that offer was moot as Pride Manitoulin had indicated that they would supply the flag.
Councillor John Bisaillon said that he would only support raising the Canadian or Ontario flags on municipal flagpoles, while Mayor Stephens asked if there were any bookings at the hall that would be in place while the flag was raised, noting that the people renting the hall might not be happy to have the flag over their events. CAO Denise Deforge indicated that there were no bookings at the hall during that time.
Councillor Stephens cautioned his fellow councillors that he believed the debate was treading close to dangerous ground and could be considered discrimination. To which Mayor Stephens responded “hogwash.”
In the final recorded vote on the motion to allow the raising of the Pride Flag, Councillors Derek Stephens, Dale Scott, Linda Farquhar and Rose Diebolt voted in favour, while Councillors John Bisaillon, Brian Mitchell and Mayor Richard Stephens voted against the motion. The motion passed.
