A lookout point on Pinantan Mountain in Peachland.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Leah Pascoe
February 23, 2022 - 2:39 PM
The Canadian flag that flies atop Pincushion Mountain has been turned upside down in recent days in what is suspected by some Peachland residents to be an act of anti-government sentiment.
The trail to the top of the mountain is an unmaintained, undesignated Crown Land trail that is popular with hikers who are in search of stellar views of Okanagan Lake.
At the lookout is a thin flagpole sporting a Canadian flag.
“The original post was in the Hiking in the Okanagan Area Facebook group,” Peachland resident Pat McCoy said. “The post has since been taken down, but in the picture that was in it, you could see the flag was upside down.”
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Flying the Canadian flag upside down grabbed attention during the recent convoy protest on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Phil Triadafilopoulos, an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto, said it can feel it is disrespectful when the flag is flown upside down and there are worries that a shared symbol is being appropriated by some to advance a narrow agenda. Triadafilopoulos said Canada is not as intense as the United States when it comes to flag-waving but there is a sense of pride in its display.
Some Peachland residents are hoping someone will return the flag to its proper position.
“Anyone hiking Pincushion that wants to fix the flag up there would get a tip of my hat for your efforts,” McCoy said. “Sounds like someone has decided that their views are more important, and (decided) to fly the flag upside down.”
— With files from The Canadian Press
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