Heather Wright
The Independent

Petrolia is going to use a $5,000 Canada Day grant from the federal government to install a new celebratory flag pole.
The town, like many others across the country, gets funding each year to host Canada Day events. Many use the money to pay for fireworks displays.
But communities had to scale back celebrations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Petrolia held a virtual fireworks event. The federal grant was set aside hoping Petrolia and its neighbours could hold another event in 2020. As the pandemic restrictions continued, most municipalities bowed out recognizing it would be impossible.
In a Nov. 7 report, Dave Menzies, director of facilities and community services, says the celebratory flag pole will be installed at the entrance to town hall. “After a great number of conversations with all parties and approval from program administrators with Canadian Heritage, the town can proceed with a celebratory flag pole and purchase Canadian flags, organizational flags, Indigenous flags, etc. to complement a virtual ceremony,” says Menzies.
The town’s clerk is drawing up a new flag policy to “accommodate the number of requests for half massing, organizations events, and community groups that bring forward requests.”
The flag pole will be completed by the end of November.