True patriot love in St. B

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This article was published 15/04/2025 (346 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A high-rise in the heart of St. Boniface is turning heads with its striking display of patriotism.

Chateau Guay, located at 231 Goulet St., now features Canadian flags fluttering from more than 60 of its 88 south-facing balconies, transforming the 16-storey, 207-unit apartment building into a bold statement of national pride.

Organizers say the display is more than decorative — it’s a symbolic message of unity and sovereignty, aimed in part at those beyond the southern border: Canada is not for sale.

Loraine Simard, 78, helped spearhead the effort to drape the building’s balconies in a little red and white.

Simard said she was inspired after watching the national news and a segment showcasing different kinds of Canadian pride.

“I thought a bunch of flags on our building would sure make a statement,” Simard said Tuesday. “It’s amazing. I never, ever thought this would happen.”

Simard and fellow residents Jean-Paul Doucet and his wife, Doris, printed off 88 memos for the 88 units with south-facing balconies, inviting residents to take part.

The response was swift and enthusiastic.

“It kind of mushroomed,” said Doucet, 80, a retired Free Press employee who also took on the task of hanging flags. He and his wife scoured Dollarama stores to meet demand, quickly buying out their inventories.

Not to be outdone, residents on the building’s north side joined in. Doucet estimates between 25 and 30 flags now hang from the opposite side of the building.

“It’s been very positive,” he said. “It was more or less the pride of being a Canadian citizen rather than being a political statement.”

Tariff fears and annexation threats from U.S. President Donald Trump have helped spurn Canadian patriotism in recent months.

“With what is going on in the States, people have had more pride in being Canadian,” Doucet said. “Especially because he’s threatened to annex us.”

Added Simard: “I didn’t want to get into politics too much, but we all know what’s going on in the world. I just wanted to be a true Canadian and have people jump in, help out and show their pride is here, too.”

The feeling has been palpable in the building, said resident manager Michelle Vermeulen.

“I’ve noticed a huge sense of pride with all the tenants that live in here,” Vermeulen said. “They seemed to jump right on board and wanted a flag on their balcony, and encouraged others to do the same.”

Vermeulen feels the initiative has brought the community tighter together.

“Absolutely, it has,” she said.

And the buzz it’s created has yet to die down.

“You can’t imagine it,” Simard added. “Every time I get into the elevators, somebody is talking about it. It’s brought a lot of camaraderie. Everyone has been so proud to be a part of it. I didn’t expect this type of response.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca