FORT FRANCES — The Ukrainian flag is going up at the Fort Frances Civic Centre, but another familiar flag isn't coming down.
That's the direction taken at the regular meeting of town council held on Monday, March 28, 2025, as councillors discussed an item on their agenda directly related to whether or not it should continue to fly the U.S. flag on municipal property.
Council was responding to an online petition submitted by local lawyer Douglas Judson calling on the town to replace the U.S. flag currently flying outside the civic centre and other civic buildings with the Ukrainian flag in a show of solidarity and support for the eastern European country, while simultaneously sending a message to the United States government and its people saying that Canada is not taking lightly the numerous musings and threats of making the country the “51st State” by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Judson noted flying the Ukrainian flag would be of particular significance in town due to the relatively high population of those with Ukrainian heritage.
“Fort Frances is a border community with many ties to the United States,” Judson states in his letter to council.
“We are uniquely situated to send a strong message to the American people – and to set an example for other Canadian cities – about the intolerable, dangerous, and disrespectful behaviour of President Trump and his administration.
"We have an opportunity to do so while showing support for the victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine. Just as Canada has one of the largest Ukrainians diasporas in the world, statistics shows that around 10% of the households in our community are of Ukrainian heritage.”
In discussion around the council chamber on Monday night, March 24, 2025, councillors expressed their support of the people of the United States while acknowledging the serious damage the administration has done to its relations with Canada.
“Americans are our friends,” said Coun. Steve Maki.
“However, America is not being very friendly. The U.S. President has initiated an economic war with tariffs, which is purposely hurting all Canadians. The total disrespect of our nation by calling our prime minister a governor and calling Canada the 51st state is repulsive.
The president suggesting we join the U.S. because he is truly concerned about what's best for all Canadians is laughable. What the President wants is our resources and land mass.”
Maki went on to agree with the removal of U.S. flags from municipal properties in town in favour of flying the Ukrainian flag.
However, couns. John McTaggart, Bill Morrison and Wendy Brunetta, as well as Fort Frances mayor Andrew Hallikas shared that, while they agreed with raising the Ukrainian flag in support of the country and its people, they worried the removal of the U.S. flag would send the wrong message to the people of the country, rather than its administration.
“In regards to the letter petition submitted, I do have concerns, I note on the petition of any of the supporters, and well over half of them don't live in this community,” McTaggart said.
“This is a border town. We have, I think, a very good relationship with our neighbouring community that I want to try and preserve and maintain that relationship we have. If we take down our U.S. flag, they take down their Canadian flag, it's a tit for tat, and really what's accomplished, what comes after that, what's the next thing that happens?
I think we need to take a bit of the high road on this one. I'm not upset with Americans, but I am upset with the American administration and their actions.”
Morrison echoed McTaggarts sentiments, saying he felt that removing the flag would be a non-issue for someone like Trump, but otherwise send a non-welcoming message to those U.S. citizens who might still support the country through tourism.
“I believe we should continue to welcome our U.S.A. friends, family and tourists to Canada here with respect. President Trump doesn't care if we take our flag down. I worry about offending the American tourists whoo help support a regional economy who might read a news article that we take in the flag down and cancel tourist trips and fishing trips, costing our area businesses money.
The mayor is part of a Border Mayors Alliance committee, who are working together to keep border town relations strong. I feel we should stand strong and hope the cooler heads prevail.”
Brunetta noted that, while she didn't disagree with Maki's statement, she also felt the removal of the U.S. flag could negatively affect the town.
“Being in a border town, particularly in a border town that relies heavily on American tourism, we certainly don't want to alienate our American friends who come every year to visit this community,” she said.
“So I do not support taking the flag down. I do support flying the Ukrainian flag along with all of our other flags.”
Mayor Hallikas commented on the issue, pointing out that the matter not be taken lightly, and suggested that in the event council decides to eventually move to take the U.S. flag down, they should take measures to communicate it is not because of the actions of the U.S. people, but instead solely their government.
Hallikas also said that he would argue for continuing to fly the flag of International Falls, owing to the city's close ties to Fort Frances.
“Should council decide that they want to remove the American flag, then I think it would be very important that we continue to fly the flag of International Falls,” he said.
“We have no quarrel with our neighbours who live there. Further, I would suggest that we get a Minnesota flag and put that up as well. Also, if American dignitaries visit our civic centre, which happens on occasion, and I hope happens again, I'd like to have the mayor of International Falls hosted here, he's hosted me, we should always fly the American flag for those occasions out of courtesy and respect.
And similarly, if American sports teams play in our arena, we should have the American flag in place for those occasions as well.”
While an oral motion to have administration return with a report on removing the U.S. flag failed on the floor, it was noted that there is no necessity for a council resolution to fly the Ukrainian flag in addition to those already raised at the civic centre.
“In fact, the clerk has anticipated and already picked one up,” Hallikas said.
“So I can just put it up, and I will.”
In a response to Monday night's meeting, Judson pushed back against couns. McTaggart, Morrison and Brunetta, stating he felt they missed the point of the petition in linking the removal of the flag to the U.S. President being impacted by it, and criticizing their desire to not have the flag removed.
“Removing the U.S. flag is not to earn the President's attention,” Judson wrote in an email to the Times.
“It's to send the message to everyday Americans that their election has had incredibly dangerous, damaging, and unacceptable consequences, and that we will not be disrespected.
It seems as though we have a bloc on council that is more worried about the idea a few fishermen will get upset on their drive to Safeway than what it says that we continue to honour a symbol that now appears to tacitly support the massacre of Ukrainians by Russia, and whose official policy is a direct threat to Canadian jobs and sovereignty.
Fort Frances Times / Local Journalism Initiative
