Municipal Flag Policy TR23-03 — full text

This is an automated transcription (OCR) of the captured official document — minor recognition errors are possible; the source document governs. Snapshot b78ee8d8475d · verified 2026-06-04 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

## TOWN OF THREE RIVERS POLICY ## MUNICIPAL FLAG POLICY Policy Number: Approved By: TR23-03 Date of Approval: September 11, 2023 Town Council Review Date: Yearly ## 1. General Description This policy is designed to establish a consistent protocol and management for the flying of flags on the Town of Three Rivers properties. ## 2. Purpose This policy is intended to create a standard procedure to follow to ensure consistency with respect to flags flown at municipally owned facilities, and to establish a standard for which proclamation requests are received and processed. ## 3. Town-owned Flagpoles The Town will fly the Canadian Flag, the Province of Prince Edward Island Flag, and Town of Three Rivers flags only on their flagpoles, notwithstanding Article 4. Decorative flags hung on Town buildings, etc. will be excluded from the guidelines established by this policy. Flags will be flown following Flag Etiquette in Canada as outline by Canadian Heritage. ## 4. Flying Special Occasion Flags - 4.1. The Town of Three Rivers receives requests to fly flags in recognition of various events and organizations. To enable the Town to satisfy these requests the Council of the Town of Three Rivers has adopted the following guidelines for the flagpole located at the Town Hall, 172 Fraser Street (herein referenced as the Community Flagpole). - a. This flagpole will be designated for individuals, groups, and organizations who request that their event flag be flown for a specific period. - b. The maximum period for a single flag to be flown is two weeks. - c. Applications must be received in writing (Appendix A - Application for Flag Raising) from community organizations or individuals wishing to have their flag flown. Applications must be submitted at least one month before the date the group wants the flag to be flown. A calendar will be maintained by staff to track availability. Consideration will be given to the order in which requests are received. Flags given approval must be supplied by the applicant and replaced, as necessary. All applications will require approval by the Mayor in conjunction with the Chief Administrative Officer when received. Annual recurring requests will be approved in subsequent years; applicants will not have to apply annually. The Town will maintain the flags of individuals and community organizations that annually submit applications in the Town's flag inventory. - d. The requesting community organization or individual will provide the flag to be flown. The Town will not fly a flag that is in poor condition. - e. Applications in support of the following will not be approved: - Political parties; political organizations, or candidates for election - For-profit corporate entities. - Celebrations, campaigns, or events with no direct relationship to the Town of Three Rivers. - Celebrations, campaigns, or events intended for profit making purposes. - Celebration campaigns or events intended to defame the integrity of the Town. - Celebrations, campaigns, or events deemed inappropriate by the Mayor or CAO (Chief Administrator Officer). - Religious organizations or religious events or celebrations. - Attempting to influence government policy. - supporting social or racial intolerance, violence, or hatred. - f. The public will be advised of the significance of the special occasion flag being flown through communication efforts on the part of the Town. - g. When there is no special occasion flag on the flagpole, a Town flag may be flown. ## 4.2. Flying Flags at Discretion of Council The Town Council may choose to fly a flag on the Community Flagpole, at their own discretion in which case the Town will assume the associated costs. ## 5. Maintenance of Flags All flags must be maintained in a condition fitting their significance. Frayed flags should be replaced and/or repaired at once. When a flag is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, it should be destroyed in a dignified manner. ## 6. Proclamation Criteria - 6.1. Proclamation is an official public announcement or declaration given by the Mayor to formally recognize a special event which is deemed to be of interest and/or benefit to a considerable number of citizens of Three Rivers, including but not limited to: - a. Civic promotions - b. Public awareness campaigns - c. Charitable fundraising campaigns - d. Arts and Culture Celebrations - e. Special honours for individuals or organizations for special achievements - 6.2. Proclamations will not be issued for the following: - a. Matters of political controversy - b. Individual convictions - c. Organizations or groups that are political or partisan in nature, including political parties or political organizations - d. Organizations that promote hatred, violence, racism, or discrimination of any kind - e. Religious organizations or religious events or celebrations - f. Organizations or events with no direct relationship to the Town of Three Rivers - g. Celebrations, campaigns, or events intended for profit-making purposes - h. Attempting to influence government policy - i. Matters or Organizations that have already received a proclamation within the same calendar year 2. 6.3. Proclamations are issued at the discretion of the Mayor. The Mayor may delegate authority to the Chief Administrative Officer, Clerk or designate to assess and approve proclamation requests based on the Proclamation Criteria outlined in Section 6 (i) (ii). 3. 6.4. Proclamations may be approved for a one time or annual events occurring in perpetuity. The Office of the Clerk shall maintain and make publicly available a registry of all the approved proclamations occurring in perpetuity. ## 7. Communication - 7.1. Once a proclamation has been approved, the following communication will be carried out: - a. Correspondence will be sent from the Office of the Clerk to all individuals, groups, or organizations whose proclamation request is approved - b. The Office of the Clerk will arrange to include a notice on the Town's website and if applicable will provide a link to the organization's website that is related to the proclamation.  ## Schedule A ## Application for Flag Raising Town of Three Rivers 172 Fraser Street, Montague Completed form to be submitted to the CAO at least four weeks before the event. A special request from an agency or organization located in the Town of Three Rivers wishing to raise their flags at 172 Fraser Street to mark an event will be reviewed by the CAO and Mayor, processed by the CAO, and signed by the Mayor. If approved, the special request will be noted on the next Council agenda under the Presentations and Delegations section for information only. Note: As per the Town of Three Rivers Flag Policy TR23-03: - At no time will the Town of Three Rivers display flags deemed to be inappropriate or offensive in nature or those supporting discrimination, prejudice, political or religious movements. - There will be no presentations or delegations at Council with respect to flag raising requests. - The Town of Three Rivers reserves the right to choose which flags may or may not be flown Organization name Contact name Address City Province Postal code Phone Email Requested event or occasion Explanation or purpose of the event Description of the applicant organization (Include any local, national, or international affiliation, brief history, and any other relevant information) Description of flag to be raised (Note: the flag should be no larger than 36 inches × 72 inches) (Include brief physical description, colours, symbols, and any other relevant information) Signature Date Please submit the completed form to the Town of Three Rivers CAO office 172 Fraser Street, Montague, PE COA 1RO Email: [email protected] ## Internal Use Only CAO Date Mayor Internal distribution: - [ ] Corporate Services - [ ] Community Services - [ ] Facility Management - [ ] CAO Date Direct any questions about this collection to Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Coordinator, 172 Fraser Street, PO Box 546, Montague, PE COA 1R0 Phone: (902) 838-2528.