A flag flap is festering in the village of Pemberton, as the municipality has asked a man to take down international flags hanging outside his house.
“I’m quite shocked that they don’t seem to understand this is affecting my constitutional rights, that I should be able to express my heritage, my spouse’s heritage,” says Myson Effa, who says he was asked to take down the German, Filipino, and Métis flags that adorn his home’s exterior.
The problem is that his home is also his business – he’s the manager of Pemberton Gateway Village Suites, a local hotel. And a 1995 city bylaw prohibits any flags that aren’t Canadian, British Columbian, or Pemberton’s own crest.
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“It’s hard to distinguish between the two,” says Daniel Sailland, a town administrator. “He’s the manager of that site, and though he lives there, he is also managing a commercial area, everyone going there beyond himself are going there for various commercial purposes.”
The town put in the bylaw to ensure the quaint village, with a population of just over 2,000, wouldn’t have any backlit signs or garish displays that would distract from the natural beauty. Effa says the bylaw has been effective. But he says the flags honour the heritage of him and his wife.
“The sign bylaw has done a good thing…but a commercial bylaw shouldn’t be applying for residents,” he says.
For their part, the city says Effa can get clearance – he just has to go through the proper processes, which at this point Effa is reluctant to do.
“What he can do is come back to the village staff with his proposed plan,” says Sailland.
“Which flags is he putting up, how does he plan on mounting them to the building, and from there, we write a report and bring it to council to variance.”
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