Bonners Ferry rejects Idaho flag order

BONNERS FERRY — Following a directive from the Idaho Attorney General’s Office to remove the Canadian flag from city grounds, the Bonners Ferry City Council on May 6 voted to declare a 365-day special occasion honoring its Canadian neighbors — effectively sidestepping the new state law limiting which flags may fly on government property.

The city’s declaration states that Bonners Ferry is Idaho’s closest incorporated municipality to Canada, Main Street is on the International Selkirk Loop and Bonners Ferry reserves the right to self-govern. The declaration passed unanimously, and it was met with applause from several members of the public who spoke out against the Idaho law during the comment period of the council meeting. 

“They told us we can’t fly the flag,” said Mayor Rick Alonzo. “I argued with the deputy attorney general because in the statute, there’s no penalties if you fly the flag. There’s no criminal offense tied to it, so I told him we were going to continue to fly it.” 

But on April 30, the Idaho AG Office instructed the city to immediately remove its Canada flag, and it threatened to sue the city if it did not comply. 

So, for a week, the Canada flag came down. 

But the new code allows for a government entity to display “official flags of countries other than the United States to commemorate special occasions.” 

Following the commemoration of the yearlong celebration, Mayor Alonzo raised the flag back up. 

Both District 1 Idaho Sen. Jim Woodward and District 1A Rep. Mark Sauter debated for an amendment to the original House Bill 96 to include a way for Bonners Ferry to continue flying the flag.

“I didn’t support HB96 because of concerns about limitations on local control decisions and with concern for issues like the Bonners Ferry situation,” Sauter wrote to the Herald. “It makes sense for Bonners Ferry to fly the flag for the visitors from the north. This seems like a well-meaning ‘good neighbor’ action.” 

The passage of HB96 is widely believed to be targeted toward Boise, which has flown the rainbow pride flag on city government property for several years. Bonners Ferry, as the seat for Idaho’s only county with international borders, was collateral damage, local officials say. 

On April 15, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador sent a letter to Boise Mayor Lauren McLean, writing, “you have … chosen to defy the Legislature — and by extension, the people of Idaho … to act as though your personal political views exempt you from compliance.” 

However, Boise was also able to skirt the flag ban law using a different tactic from Bonners Ferry. 

At its May 6 City Council meeting, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean issued a proclamation retroactively making the pride flag an official city flag, along with a flag commemorating organ donors, the AP reported.