Blowing in the wind

By Canada Day 2007, natives of Croatia, India, Latvia and the Ukraine, among others, will be reminded of their homelands as they drive across the Paris St. bridge if city council passes a proposal to display flags from 43 nations.

According to a staff report, the display will “add a festive and colourful appearance to the bridge and help to demonstrate the commitment of Sudburians to multiculturalism, respect for other cultures and unity.”

In December 2005, staffers were directed by council to come up with a report about the viability of putting flags on the bridge after a presentation from the Paris Street Bridge Flag Committee.

They will present the report to the city's priorities committee Wednesday evening, and committee members will vote on the proposal two weeks from now. If the report is passed, city council will give it an official seal of approval a week later.

From an engineering perspective, city staff have concluded that it's safe to put flag poles on the bridge. The poles themselves would cost $800, with another $400 required to install the poles.

Various cultural groups were asked to donate flags to fly on the bridge during Canada Day celebrations this summer. They were also given the option of providing money to purchase flag poles. Almost $21,000 was collected and is in a trust fund for the project.

City staff are proposing that council earmark $20,000 in taxpayers' funds to cover the rest of the costs.