St. John’s Coun. Sheilagh O’Leary says she sent an email to the mayor and the rest of council on Tuesday requesting the flag be taken down.
“I was unaware of the impact, certainly, of this flag-raising,” O’Leary told The Telegram on Wednesday morning. “Once it became a public issue, we were getting emails from people in regards to this particular church in itself and some of their philosophies and such. It was a great concern for me, because I certainly believe in equal rights and respect and acceptance of all, and I think we need to reflect that, certainly, as a city.”
St. John’s councillors Danny Breen and Dave Lane also publicly expressed support for taking down the flag, and late Wednesday afternoon the city’s communications department issued a statement attributed to Mayor Dennis O’Keefe that council voted to take the flag down.
“City staff are currently developing a policy to deal with protocol issues, including flag-raising, at city hall,” read the statement. “The proposed policy will be vetted through the corporate policy committee and presented to council for approval in the near future.”
Also Wednesday, Mount Pearl North MHA Steve Kent — who criticized the provincial Liberal government for allowing the flag-raising at Confederation Building on Tuesday — tweeted the flag had been taken down at Mount Pearl City Hall.
The raising of the flag — which is not recognized as officially representing Christianity — was organized by St. Stephen the Martyr Church. The church’s website links to condemnations of homosexuality as well as discredited therapeutic methods to “cure” it.
O’Keefe and Mount Pearl Mayor Randy Simms did not return The Telegram’s calls requesting comment.
[email protected], Twitter: @DanMacEachern
