Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

City Clerk

SUBJECT:

Flag Policies and Procedures

 

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council approve the Flag Policy for the City of Vancouver as shown in Appendix A.

POLICY

There is currently no City of Vancouver Policy pertaining to the use of flags on City property.

PURPOSE

To clarify and confirm established practices and provide consistent direction to staff with respect to the protocol and management of all flags flown on City property.

DISCUSSION

Flags are symbols that identify people belonging to a group. All flags, especially those of a nation, province or city, embody the honour and pride of the people they represent. It is therefore, very important that they be treated with respect. It is also very important that they be treated with consistency so as not to offend the very groups we intend to honour by displaying the flag.

These policies and procedures are intended to cover several locations and organizations within the City of Vancouver including:

· City Hall
· The Vancouver Police Department
· The Vancouver Fire Department
· Civic Theaters
· Manitoba Yards
· The many flag islands throughout the city

· Any other locations that may be established in the future.

The attached Flag Policies and Procedures will serve to fill a void that currently exists by the lack of a written policy. It will provide clear direction with regard to Canadian Flag etiquette, half-masting policies and procedures, guest flags, and responsibility and maintenance of city flags.

The proposed policy is divided into four sections: General Flag Etiquette, Half-Masting Policies, Guest Flags, and Responsibility and Maintenance of Flags.

Canadian Flag Etiquette

The proposed flag policy reflects our current practices, which are consistent with the Department of Canadian Heritage rules for displaying flags. These rules are not governed by legislation but based on long-standing customs. The Canadian Heritage rules and practices are observed by virtually all Canadian provinces and cities.

Half-Masting Policies

Generally speaking, the current practice is to follow the federal and provincial governments on the death of dignitaries and others receiving National attention. However, the practice with regard to local dignitaries, officials and employees has been inconsistent. There have been circumstances in the past in which city officials have been unclear as to whether or not to half-mast city flags.

The following is the wording in the proposed policy related to local dignitaries and employees:

· On the death of the Mayor, former Mayor, a current Vancouver City Councillor or a former City Councillor that has served at least 10 years;
· On the death of a Vancouver city employee when their death has occurred as a direct result of performing their duties;

While much of this policy is standard practice for governments of all levels across Canada, the proposed policy for former City Councillors varies from most. While there are a small number of jurisdictions that recognize former representatives, most do not. Neither the federal government nor our provincial government recognize former MP's or MLA's respectively.

Guest Flags

Requests from various community groups to fly flags at city hall are not uncommon. Most of these requests come from the many ethnic communities in our area. These requests are usually to recognize a special day or week and are often made in conjunction with a request for a proclamation. If the request is granted the flag is flown beside the main entrance of City Hall.

There are currently no written policies or procedures to document how we handle requests for flying guest flags. These requests have been handled by a small number of people for some time and therefore the procedures are not widely known. This section will ensure that detailed directions regarding these procedures are available to anyone needing them will also ensure consistency in how these requests are handled.

There have been, on occasion, complaints regarding the politics of the group or nation whose flag we have flown. This policy gives the City Clerk the authority to decide not to grant a request if there is political unrest or conflict in that country. It also makes it clear that the City neither implies nor expresses support for the politics of a nation whose flag we are flying.

Engineering Services, Electrical Design group handle the guest flags for City's flag islands. Most of these request are from local non-profit societies. These flags are usually flown for a month and requests are handled on a first come first served basis. Most of year is booked well in advance by `regular' groups such as the United Way and the Pacific National Exhibition.

Responsibility and Maintenance of Flags

It is currently not clear who has the responsibility and authority for making decisions with respect to flags although most decisions have historically fallen to the City Clerk. This policy gives City Clerk this responsibility and authority. The types of decisions that are typically made include what guest flags we will fly, for whom the flag will be lowered and for whom we will have a flag-raising ceremony.

The policy states the departments or organizational positions that are responsible for the maintenance of the flags. This includes ensuring the flags are in good condition, changing the flags when required, hoisting guest flags as required and placing flags at half-mast as directed. This policy does not change what has been done historically, rather it clarifies responsibilities for information purposes.

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