A Nova Scotia centre for education has issued a directive allowing only Canada and Nova Scotia flags to fly outside South Shore schools.
Peter Day, head of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, called the new rule concerning and confusing, saying some teachers are upset that flags representing Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotian and LGBTQ+ students will be taken down.
The South Shore Regional Centre for Education, which represents 23 English-language elementary, middle and high schools, says it wants to ensure the removed flags are “better cared for and protected from damage.”
Centre spokesperson Ashley Gallant says flags that are not of Canada or Nova Scotia will be taken off flagpoles and displayed inside the schools.
Day, however, says flags representing Nova Scotia’s diverse student population should be displayed outside schools for all to see, as opposed to just having them indoors.
He says Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotian, Acadian, Gaelic and other students deserve to see their cultures represented as they walk up to the school doors.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2025.