HomeAir-force veteran forced to take down Canadian flag from condo unit
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Air-force veteran forced to take down Canadian flag from condo unit
by Powergunner Wed 13 Mar 2019, 12:38 pm
by Ali Taghva - March 13, 2019
A 27-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force was told by AXIA Property Management to take down a mounted Canadian flag from the front of his condo unit, according to an interview done by Evan Solomon for CFRA, available on their site by clicking here: http://www.iheartradio.ca/580-cfra/podcasts/ottawa-now-r-c-a-f-member-told-to-take-canadian-flag-down-1.9007776?mode=Article
According to Major Mike Mitchell, the management company likely sent out the notice to him once someone else filed a complaint, as he had kept the flag in its position “since Canada Day of last year,” and only received a notice on Tuesday.
Now, we don’t have to spend long discussing how utterly morally disgusting it is to stop a Canadian veteran from proudly displaying the Canadian flag.
Heck, it is in my view the opposite patriotic to limit Canadians from displaying Canadian flags proudly from their homes. But I won’t spend much time there, instead I’d like to focus on how this condo unit could actually be in the wrong.
According to lawyer Jocelyn Duquette, the National Flag of Canada Act provides that:
“Interestingly, the Act does not prohibit condominium corporations from preventing the display of the Canadian flag, but instead encourage condominium corporations to allow it,” Duquette said.
Mr. Duquette goes onto explain that “the best way for condominium corporations to deal with this question is to adopt a rule governing the display of our national flag. A rule completely prohibiting the display of the flag could not only be found to be unreasonable under section 58 of the Condominium Act, but could also be contrary to the intent of the federal legislation.”
A 27-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force was told by AXIA Property Management to take down a mounted Canadian flag from the front of his condo unit, according to an interview done by Evan Solomon for CFRA, available on their site by clicking here: http://www.iheartradio.ca/580-cfra/podcasts/ottawa-now-r-c-a-f-member-told-to-take-canadian-flag-down-1.9007776?mode=Article
According to Major Mike Mitchell, the management company likely sent out the notice to him once someone else filed a complaint, as he had kept the flag in its position “since Canada Day of last year,” and only received a notice on Tuesday.
Now, we don’t have to spend long discussing how utterly morally disgusting it is to stop a Canadian veteran from proudly displaying the Canadian flag.
Heck, it is in my view the opposite patriotic to limit Canadians from displaying Canadian flags proudly from their homes. But I won’t spend much time there, instead I’d like to focus on how this condo unit could actually be in the wrong.
According to lawyer Jocelyn Duquette, the National Flag of Canada Act provides that:
Every person who is in control of an apartment building, a condominium building or building in divided co-ownership or another multiple-residence building or a gated community is encouraged to allow the National Flag of Canada to be displayed in accordance with flag protocol.
“Interestingly, the Act does not prohibit condominium corporations from preventing the display of the Canadian flag, but instead encourage condominium corporations to allow it,” Duquette said.
Mr. Duquette goes onto explain that “the best way for condominium corporations to deal with this question is to adopt a rule governing the display of our national flag. A rule completely prohibiting the display of the flag could not only be found to be unreasonable under section 58 of the Condominium Act, but could also be contrary to the intent of the federal legislation.”
Powergunner- CF Coordinator
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Join date : 2018-06-05
Re: Air-force veteran forced to take down Canadian flag from condo unit
by Jeremiah Thu 14 Mar 2019, 7:50 pm
Soldier told to remove Canadian flag from Ottawa home
CTV News
Published on Mar 14, 2019
CTV News
Published on Mar 14, 2019
Jeremiah- Registered User
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Re: Air-force veteran forced to take down Canadian flag from condo unit
by Replica Sun 17 Mar 2019, 9:26 pm
Every Ontarian has right to fly Canadian flag
Published:
March 17, 2019
Published:
March 17, 2019
In this Sept. 28, 2011 file photo, a Canadian flag is seen flying from the balcony of an apartment building in Ottawa. (Andre Forget/Postmedia Network files)
By Bill Walker, Special to Postmedia Network
Like most Ontarians, I was shocked to read that a family in Ottawa – the father, a third-generation member of our Armed Forces and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan – was told by a condominium board they were not allowed to fly the Canadian flag on the front of their house.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the story, Maj. Michael Mitchell initially put up our nation’s flag to celebrate Canada Day and kept it flying until he was told this week it violated the rules of his condominium corporation.
The board informed Mitchell that no condo owner was allowed to affix anything to the front of their home. Mitchell and his family were not initially aware of these rules but wanted to find a solution that would keep the flag flying. Discouragingly, as Mitchell and his family noticed, these rules seemed to be selectively enforced – several neighbours had objects attached to the fronts of their houses.
How is it possible that, in our nation’s capital, those who served our country so bravely could be refused the right to fly our great nation’s flag?
The answer lies in the Condominium Act, 1998 and the buck stops with me. As Minister of Government and Consumer Services, I am responsible for the Condominium Act, 1998, the legislation that controls what authority condominium corporations hold and what types of rules they can put in place.
The Act provides a lot of authority for condo corporations to make rules governing what condo owners can and cannot do with their property, including property owned in common with the other condo owners. The idea being that when you purchase a condominium, you are accepting that you are part of a self-governing community that will have a say over how owners use their property in the interest of the entire community. This is a system that has worked well since it was instituted. There, of course, can be problems with any system as we can see clearly in the case of Mitchell and his family.
I doubt anyone thought, when giving condo corporations these powers, that they would be used as a way to silence. It is certainly not a situation we want to see continue in Ontario.
This is clearly an issue that needs to be addressed and it is one I am looking into currently.
This is an issue I believe should unite all parties in Ontario. On Nov. 28, 2018, Ontario’s Legislative Assembly honoured former MP and MPP Reid Scott, a member of the NDP and part of the 15-member panel that adopted our national flag decades ago.
I believe every Ontarian should have the right to fly the Canadian flag, the flag of Ontario and the Franco-Ontarian flag. I hope this is something my colleagues from all parties can agree with me on.
To ensure Ontarians have this right protected, my staff and I are examining legislation to enshrine these rights under the Condominium Act, 1998.
I am not looking at removing the self-governing powers of condo corporations, but, clearly, rules that effectively ban the Canadian flag go too far.
In my view, condo corporations should still be allowed to ban things like planter boxes, satellite dishes, building extensions, and anything else that could cause either a safety or security risk. But they should never stand in the way of Canadians flying our flag.
The Canadian flag was officially adopted as our national ensign 54 years ago. It was a way of symbolizing the unity of our nation and our diverse heritage. The flags of Ontario and the Franco-Ontarian community are deeply important to the citizens of our province and are a sign of pride in our shared history and cultural heritage.
I will always stand up for the rights of Ontarians to fly these flags and I hope all Ontarians will stand with me in that pursuit.
MPP Bill Walker is minister of Government and Consumer Services
Replica- CF Coordinator
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Re: Air-force veteran forced to take down Canadian flag from condo unit
by Starman Mon 18 Mar 2019, 5:03 pm
Doug Ford calls on Ottawa condominium board to allow veteran to fly a Canadian flag
by Cosmin Dzsurdzsa - March 18, 2019
by Cosmin Dzsurdzsa - March 18, 2019
In a recent tweet from the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford has called on an Ottawa condominium board to reconsider the decision to ask
Maj. Michael Mitchell to remove the Canada flag from the front of his house.
Members of our @CanadianForces and all Ontarians should be allowed to proudly fly our Canadian flag
I hope the condo board reconsiders their decision and makes this right. https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-every-ontarian-has-right-to-fly-canadian-flag …
11:36 AM - Mar 18, 2019
Maj. Michael Mitchell was told by his condominium board to remove the flag from the front of his house because it broke condo rules.
Mitchell placed the flag there last Canada day and has had it up ever since without any issue.
According to Mitchell, other members of the community also have things attached to the front of their homes.
“My wife took a little walk around the condo community … and there are about 30 other houses with stuff attached to the front of their houses,” said Mitchell.
Maj. Michael Mitchell hopes to take the issue up with the condo board at the next meeting.
Starman- Benefits Coordinator
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Re: Air-force veteran forced to take down Canadian flag from condo unit
by Leopard Tue 19 Mar 2019, 1:43 pm
A Canadian veteran isn't allowed to display his Canadian flag! | David Menzies
Rebel Media
Published on Mar 19, 2019
Rebel Media
Published on Mar 19, 2019
Leopard- Registered User
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Join date : 2018-02-20
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