Confederate flag flies at Richmond Hill construction site as ban considered
York Regional Police investigated and interviewed the site supervisor after the flag was allegedly removed from a trailer at the Mattamy Homes site

YorkRegion.com
Oct. 02, 2017
Jeremy Grimaldi

Hours after it hit the news that Toronto city council was to discuss a ban on flying the Confederate flag in public spaces, York Regional Police opened an investigation into a one found flying in Richmond Hill.

A York police officer said the service was made aware at 10:55 a.m. by an anonymous resident on Oct 2.

Officers were dispatched and YorkRegion.com found them interviewing the site supervisor soon after the flag was apparently removed from a trailer on the Mattamy Homes site at Leslie Street, near Elgin Mills Road, north of Richmond Green.

The official address at the site is 10 William F. Bell Parkway.

York police acting Sgt. Bill Louks who attended the scene said the site supervisor said it was one of the employees living in the trailer, but didn't know much else.

"He took it down himself and said it wouldn't be up tomorrow," he told YorkRegion.com. "It's a non-criminal incident, but a bit of an education piece."

The idea for the flag's ban originated after a loud argument started during June's Highland Creek Festival, in Scarborough, when resident Ybia Anderson filmed an interaction she had with a group of people standing around a replica of the General Lee, adorned with two confederate flags, one on the roof one on the bumper.

The original car was used in the U.S. television show The Dukes of Hazzard.

"It represents lynching and death of black people... This is racist ... This does not belong here," she said.

Coun. Neethan Shan, of Ward 42, in Scarborough-Rouge River introduced a motion that will attempt to clarify what symbols can be displayed at events and public parks, according to CBC.

He wants an outright ban on the Confederate flag at events that are city sponsored.

The flag flying incident comes as York Region has seen a sharp increase in the number of racially motivated hate graffiti incident.

The Confederate flag sparked anger among some residents after it was found flying at the Sutton Fair this summer.

Sutton District High School banned the Confederate flag after students were found to be arriving at school with bandanas lighters and belt-buckles.

Some students were angered by the ban, saying it stifled their freedom of expression.

Mattamy Homes said it wanted to look into the matter before commenting.