Brockville Peace Collective Responds to General Committee Motion on Community Flagpoles

Brockville – The Brockville Peace Collective expresses profound disappointment in the motion put forward regarding the removal of the community flagpoles.

These Community Flagpoles stood on either side of the Canadian, Ontario and Brockville flags. As per the current (2021) Brockville Flag Policy, the Community Flags are intended to celebrate Brockville’s diversity and honour those who have contributed to the life of the city. That policy shows Brockville’s willingness to be a space of welcome, cultural recognition, and shared humanity. Diversity is a cornerstone of vibrant and economically healthy communities.

When the Peace Collective requested that the Palestinian flag be flown under the current policy, the intention was to create a small symbolic weekend meant to bring people together in community and show that shared humanity is possible. This event would have included Jewish members.

Instead of allowing this moment of shared humanity to take place in November, by simply following the existing flag policy, it was brought to council. As a result, certain councillors redirected attention toward a flag policy review, which took time away from other urgent matters facing the city. That was their choice, and it was unnecessary.

The new proposed motion from Tuesday’s General Council would result in no community flags being flown at all, including the Ukrainian flag (which has been taken down), Leeds & Grenville Interval House, Pride, National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, and many more – effectively eliminating a public space for cultural recognition and community rather than expanding it.

Furthermore, the Staff Report presented to council on Tuesday suggested numerous avenues to collect the community’s feedback on the flag policy. However, the General Council chose to unilaterally bypass these recommendations. Instead, a motion was put forward to remove the Community Flagpoles, with potential policy review afterward.

Hearing from the community after the decision has been made is not the same as including the public in shaping that decision. Councillors should be listening to all their constituents.

We are also concerned about the signal this sends beyond our city. Brockville depends on skilled professionals, including doctors, nurses, caregivers, educators, specialists, business owners and investors, many of whom come from diverse backgrounds or value a diverse city. These individuals are not only choosing or creating jobs, but they are choosing communities. They look for openness, diverse leadership, and a willingness to grow. This decision risks signalling not progress, but retreat.

Throughout the discussion, the language used avoided naming the Palestinian flag. Some councillors instead kept the conversation ambiguous by referring to it as “that flag” or “a flag.” This kind of language matters. It contributes to the ongoing erasure and dehumanization of a people who have endured generations of colonization, systemic racism, and forced displacement, and who are now experiencing what leading human rights organizations, including B’Tselem, the largest Israeli human rights organization, have identified as genocide.

This genocide has been unfolding for over two years, during which over 20,000 Palestinian children have been killed – about one every hour. This is almost the population of Brockville (2021 census).

Our hearts are with those in our community who felt erased by this avoidant language and process.

During the discussion, the Chair raised concerns about the possibility of offending different groups depending on which flag is raised, noting that the flag policy was once guided by a multicultural committee, before stating, “but it is a different world today.”

We agree that it is a different world. That is precisely why courage, dialogue, and inclusion matter more, not less. The Brockville Peace Collective, which includes Jewish members, recognizes the shared humanity in all of us, even when we disagree. And it is from that place of shared humanity that we are grieving this outcome.

This was never about division. It was about community.

We understand that navigating geopolitical realities can be complex and emotionally charged. But avoiding hard conversations is not how communities grow. Silence does not build trust. Erasure does not create peace.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of the need to build “Beloved Community,” one rooted in justice, dignity, and mutual care. That kind of community is not built through avoidance. It is built through courage, listening, and the willingness to stand for one another’s humanity.

We believe Brockville can be that kind of community.