Flag lighting in Canada: flying the flag at night

In many countries, custom says that a flag is lowered at sunset or lit throughout the night. Canada is more relaxed. According to Canadian Heritage, the National Flag of Canada may be flown day and night and does not need to be lighted while flying after sundown. Lighting a flag is therefore a choice – for visibility, for effect or to show a building’s identity at night – rather than a rule of etiquette.

Day and night

The federal rules state that the National Flag must be flown at all federal government buildings, airports and military bases, and that it may be flown by night as well as by day. On Parliament Hill, the flag on the Peace Tower is changed every working day. For private flag owners, the choice between lowering the flag at dusk and leaving it up is theirs.

Lighting the flag of Québec

The Gouvernement du Québec’s guidance for flags in front of public buildings lists lighting among the things to plan, so that the flag stays visible during the night. It adds that the fixture should stay discreet during the day. The purpose is practical: the flag of Québec identifies a place where public services are provided, day or night.

Ways of lighting a flag

• Ground spotlights: one or more floodlights at the base aimed up at the flag. Two or three lights from different sides light the flag whichever way the wind turns it.
• Top-mounted lights: a light fixed at the top of the pole shining down, often solar-powered on residential poles, with no cable to bury.
• Building lighting: on a roof or wall pole, the flag can be lit from the building’s own façade lighting.

A narrow beam aimed at the flag lights it without spreading light into neighbours’ windows or the night sky.

Electrical work in Ontario

A spotlight wired to the house is electrical work. According to the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), homeowners in Ontario may do electrical work in their own home, following the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, but they file a notification of work – a permit – with the ESA before starting, even for small jobs, and the ESA reviews the work once it is done. Friends, family members or neighbours may not do it; the alternative is a Licensed Electrical Contractor. Buried cables are located before digging: the ESA refers to Ontario One Call. More in the guide to installing a flagpole.

Electrical work in Québec

In Québec, the rules are stricter. According to the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec, under the Master Electricians Act and the Building Act, no one may carry out electrical work of any kind, in their own home or elsewhere for others, unless they are a licensed electrical contractor. Fines range from 5,000 to 200,888 dollars.

Other provinces

Each province and territory has its own electrical safety authority and rules on who may do electrical work. The provincial or territorial authority can say what applies to a flagpole light.

Lights and safety

Cables to a flagpole light run underground, where other utilities may already be buried, and a pole near overhead lines is a hazard during installation. Both are covered in the guide to flagpole safety. Lights and other parts are listed in the guide to flagpole accessories.