Parliament Hill flags find new life in Simcoe County and Muskoka

Hundreds of flags once flown at Parliament Hill are now in Simcoe County and Muskoka.

While in Ottawa, Minesing resident Deane Hay said he learned he could request to own a Parliament Hill flag, something he had no idea was possible.

"An RCMP officer came by, and we were having a chat with him, and he said, 'Do you know that if you want, you can request one of the flags that are flying at Parliament Hill," Hay recalled.

Peace tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Since 1994, 11,000 flags that have been taken down in the nation's capital have been shipped across the country to Canadians who apply for them online.

Roughly 230 of those flags are now in Simcoe County and Muskoka, which recipients said symbolizes their pride in their country.

Hay waited 18 years for his Peace Tower flag and said it was worth it.

The Canadian flag and letter from Parliament Hill received by the Hay family in Minesing, Ont. (CTV News/Ian Duffy)

"[I] thought nothing better to do as a proud Canadian than get our hands on one of those flags and, at the end of the day, pass that on to future generations in our family," Hay said.

Bracebridge resident Glen Hamilton requested his flag from the East or West Block at Parliament Hill in 2009 and received it in 2021.

"You can sense the pride that Canadians have in their flag. Canada Day just makes you reflect on what we do have. The freedoms, the right to vote, and how lucky we are to live in this beautiful country," Hamilton said.

For 12 years, Robert Labonté has replaced the Canadian flag that flies above the Peace Tower with a new one every weekday, and once a week, he does the same to the flags flown at the Senate of Canada building and on the East and West Blocks on Parliament Hill.

Robert Labonté changes a flag flown at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ont., in this undated photo. (Supplied)

Labonté said his job has changed and grown his perspective on what the flag means to him and other Canadians.

"Ever since I was young, living in northern Ontario in a small community, the flag has always represented something big. Something great," he explained, adding that even the flag sent to the Queen after being clipped by a firework while celebrating Canada's 150th birthday held special meaning.

"I folded it up. It's all folded. You can't see it. So somewhere in Buckingham Palace is a flag with a little burnt hole in it celebrating Canada 150," he chuckled.

While families like the Hamiltons and the Hays were informed of an approximate 20-year wait time for their Parliament Hill flags, the current estimated wait time exceeds 100 years due to demand. Therefore, those considering obtaining a flag are not likely to receive it within their lifetime.