A tattered Canadian flag hanging outside the Canada Post office in downtown Chilliwack has be replaced, following complaints.
The flag, limply hanging outside Canada Post on Yale Road, was torn up one side, with one half partially wrapped around the pole, and the maple leaf hanging upside down.
“It’s in tatters,” said John Sovereign.
Sovereign was having lunch at Chili’s Restaurant Wednesday afternoon when he saw the threadbare flag out the window. He went inside the post office to notify the Crown corporation of the situation, but was met with “indifference.”
“It looks like it’s been there for 20 years,” said Sovereign. “It’s a disgrace. It’s an insult to our country, to our military, to those who gave their lives for our country.
“This is a Crown corporation. Either this is a problem here in Chilliwack, or there’s more wrong with Canada Post than we know.”
Proper etiquette for hanging the national flag, as indicated on the Government of Canada’s Canadian Heritage website, states it “should be displayed only in a manner befitting this important national symbol; it should not be subjected to indignity or displayed in a position inferior to any other flag or ensign.”
When contacted by The Progress, a Canada Post spokesperson said the matter was being dealt with, and that the crown corporation takes its flags very seriously.
“This is certainly not normal course,” said Phil Legault. “We do have somebody responsible for taking care of the flag… it’s a busy time of year, perhaps it was an oversight. But certainly, they take that responsibility very seriously.”
Legault said Friday the weathered flag has been replaced.
Note: This story has been updated from an earlier version following the flag's replacement.