Richard Poulin thought it was strange seeing a symbol of America when he visited Newmarket to watch his grandson play hockey.
The Kawartha Lakes resident, who has family in Newmarket, comes to town regularly. But with Canada threatened by U.S. tariffs, Poulin said he did not want to see an American flag hanging up over the ice of the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex, alongside the town and Canadian flags.
“On a daily basis now, we’re being threatened with being taken over, and under those circumstances, there’s no way we should be flying the U.S. flag anywhere in Canada except the U.S. embassy,” Poulin said.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said he has asked staff last week to bring forward a report for consideration on removing U.S. flags in municipal facilities. This comes as some other Ontario municipalities have removed their flags, and Taylor said staff and council have received emails on the issue with tensions rising between the U.S. and Canada due to President Donald Trump initiating a trade war with tariffs and suggesting Canada should be part of the U.S.
As provincial and federal governments make retaliatory measures, municipalities, too, have acted, adjusting procurement policies to try to increase opportunities for Canadian suppliers and decrease them for U.S. ones. The Town of Newmarket also hosted a Flag Day celebration this year amid a tide of swelling patriotism.
U.S. flags are currently hanging at the town's ice pads, including the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex and Magna Centre.
"There are many perspectives on how to take action in light of the tariff and sovereignty threats from President Trump and we must respect everyone's belief that we must stand together and stand strong at this time," Taylor said.
A town customer service representative responded to an email that Poulin sent to the town, saying that the flags are a long-standing tradition that reflect a close relationship between the people of the two nations, and is not unique to Newmarket. The same is true of hockey rinks in the U.S.
“We have all felt a sense of frustration with the political decisions that have been made in the United States,” said the March 19 town customer service email provided to NewmarketToday. “However, while we will continue to monitor the situation, at this time the town has no plans to remove the American flags from Newmarket arenas. It is important that we provide examples, person to person, of why the relationship between our two nations remains respectful and mutually beneficial.”
Other communities are also grappling with the situation, but several have made moves to remove the flag. The City of Mississauga is removing U.S. flags, and Mayor Olivia Chow said she would support the measure in the City of Toronto. Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall ordered the flags removed as the tariffs came into place.
“This is the flag of the commander-in-chief, the U.S. president, who is threatening our sovereignty, our security, our right to self-determination and freedoms,” Nuttall said at the time.
York Region municipalities have not yet followed suit. No municipality in York Region has made any formal announcement of removing U.S. flags in arenas, and the issue has yet to be broached at regional council meetings. Other Ontario municipalities, including Midland and West Lincoln Township have also moved to remove U.S. flags, but it has not yet been reported as a move widely adopted by most Ontario municipalities.
Still, Poulin said he does not think it makes sense to make moves like changing procurement practices to favour Canadian suppliers and exclude U.S. suppliers while continuing to fly American flags.
“Under the circumstances that we have now, it makes no sense,” Poulin said, adding U.S. hockey team visitors to municipalities are not that frequent.
“I hope council passes a motion to remove the flags from the arenas,” he said.