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Flag Day passes without local event JEFF HELSDON Editor
A day of national importance came and went with little fanfare, and many Canadians didn’t even know it existed. Feb. 15 was National Flag Day. The day marks the anniversary of the day the maple leaf flag became Canada’s national flag. Oxford MP Arpan Khanna encouraged residents to display the flag. "As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of our national flag, it is time to unite under the red and white,” he said in a news release. “Regardless of your political beliefs, I encourage everyone to display our flag, whether on a pole, in a window or pinned to a jacket. Let's proudly show off our maple leaf!” He also talked of what the flag means. "As we mark 60 years of the maple leaf, we must also express our deep gratitude to those who have worked, sacrificed, and even given their lives to defend the freedoms we hold dear and to build the country we call home. Their legacy is our responsibility, and like them, I pledge always to put Canada first,” he said. "As we reflect on what it means to be Canadian, let us cherish the unity that the flag represents and look to the future with optimism, knowing that the maple leaf will always inspire and unite us." There were no ceremonies in Tillsonburg to mark the 60th anniversary, but that wasn’t the case in 1965. On Feb. 15, 1965, an official ceremony was held at Annandale High School to raise the new Canadian flag for the first time. The mayor, Oxford County warden, and Legion officials took part. The first flag was raised in Tillsonburg at 11:56 a.m. A ceremony was also held at Rolph Street Public School, but there are few details about it. At confederation, the Royal Union Flag (commonly CONTINUED TO PAGE 4
A TASTE OF CARNAVAL COMES TO TILLSONBURG
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
Students at Monsignor O’Neil had eight different activities, both inside and out, to celebrate the start of Carnaval in Quebec City, have fun and learn about French culture. From left to right on the long skis, TJ Hornyak, Amelia Mitchell and Jorja Thomson, learned about team work while racing other students in this event. Bonhomme, the official Carnaval mascot, watched the competition.
Town council supports community pantry JEFF HELSDON Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Tillsonburg is one step closer to another option for those who have food insecurity. At the Feb. 10 meeting, town council heard a presentation from members of the Rotary Club and Tabatha Verbuyst, executive director of the Station Arts Centre. The Rotary Club is behind the proposal for a community pantry and is proposing to locate it behind the Station Arts Centre. “It’s not intended to take the place of any of the existing food insecurity programs in place in town today,” said Rotary member Jason Weiler. He said the Helping Hand Food Bank, Salvation Army,
and groups running community tables run great programs. “There are great sources of support, but this program is intended to provide some flexibility,” Weiler said. “There is some (flexibility) in existing programs, but there are gaps. I think a good illustration is something called working poor, where people may have obligations to be at work during particular times of the day and can’t get access to some of these services when they need them. This type of program is meant to provide that type of assistance.” Rotarian Laura McFarland proposed the concept more than a year ago. Club members have researched how community pantries work elsewhere, talked to other organizers, and are now looking for approval of a location. CONTINUED TO PAGE 2
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