iN PHOTOS: Canadian flags flying proudly in Kamloops, Okanagan

Canadian flags wave proudly in urban centres throughout Kamloops and the Okanagan, and can also be found on mountain tops and in other outdoor spaces.  The red and white colours on the flags are striking and this winter residents photographed several of them, including the one at Giant’s Head Mountain Park in Summerland and massive one on hillside in Falkland. For Flag Day on Feb. 15, a group of Kelowna residents created an acre-sized Canadian flag on frozen Ellison Lake. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/in-video-kelowna-residents-make-giant-canadian-flag-on-frozen-lake/it108185 Flag Day marked 60 years since the current version of the flag was adopted in 1965. Both before and after Confederation in 1867, Canada used the United Kingdom’s Royal Union Flag, commonly known as the Union Jack, as well as a naval flag called the Canadian Red Ensign, which was a combination of the Union Jack and the shield of Canada, according to the Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/flag-canada-history.html In 1921, King George V granted Canada an official coat of arms that was added to the Canadian Red Ensign flag.  In 1925 and again in 1946, attempts were made to consider possible concepts for a new national flag but were held back by government for fear of sparking political instability. Public interest grew again after the Second World War but it was controversial. Some Canadians were attached to the Union Jack and Canadian Red Ensign flags, and their British heritage. READ MORE: Four-in-five consumers shopping Canadian in wake of American tariff threat: poll https://infotel.ca/newsitem/four-in-five-consumers-shopping-canadian-in-wake-of-american-tariff-threat-poll/it108207 In 1963, newly elected Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson promised to resolve the flag controversy in time for the country’s centennial in 1967. He made a design for a flag, but it was turned down by members parliament, who then created a committee and deadline for national flag design submissions. Some committee members wanted to keep the old flags, while others wanted new symbols. Of thousands of submissions, the flag proposed by George Stanley, Dean of Arts at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario was chosen. The new maple leaf flag was made official by a proclamation from Queen Elizabeth II on Jan. 28, 1965. On Feb. 15 of that year, it was inaugurated in a public ceremony on Parliament Hill. We know we’ve missed some great places to find Canadian Flags in the Thompson Okanagan, send us an email to let us know at news@infonews.ca mailto:news@infonews.ca To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie mailto:sainslie@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .