Flagpole and flag lifespan in the Canadian climate

A flagpole and its flag have very different lives. A well-made aluminum pole on a sound footing can stand for decades, while a flag flown day and night in Canadian weather wears out in months. Wind, sun, ice, frost and salt all play a part, and so does how the pole was installed and how the flag is cared for.

How long a flag lasts

An outdoor flag wears from the fly end first, where it snaps in the wind. The Gouvernement du Québec counts on a lifespan of three to six months for an institutional outdoor flag of Québec, and its guidance mentions keeping a sufficient reserve of flags. On Parliament Hill, according to Canadian Heritage, about 250 flags fly on the Peace Tower each year and 200 on the East and West Blocks; the Peace Tower flag is replaced every working day and the others once a week.

What shortens a flag’s life:

• wind, especially strong and gusty wind, which whips the fly
• ice and wet snow, which add weight and stiffen the fabric
• sunlight, which fades the red
• rubbing against the pole, branches, walls or wires
• flying day and night in all weathers, which the National Flag may do, according to Canadian Heritage

The standards of the Canadian General Standards Board for the National Flag set requirements for fabric, construction and stitching for outdoor, indoor and one-event flags, and are reviewed as materials and dyes improve.

When a flag is worn

According to Canadian Heritage, a flag is worn when its colour has faded, it has developed a hole or the outermost seam at the fly has frayed. It is then disposed of in a dignified manner. More in the guide to flagpole maintenance.

How long a flagpole lasts

The pole itself lasts much longer than the flag. According to the Canadian flagpole maker Flag Outlet, an anodized aluminum finish is a hard oxide layer grown out of the metal, corrosion resistant and longer lasting than a plated finish. The parts that wear are the moving ones – halyard, pulley, truck and snaps – which are replaced as needed.

What shortens a pole’s life:

• a footing above the frost line, which a Canadian flag company says can be heaved within two winters, leaving the pole leaning
• salt, from the sea or from winter roads, which attacks coatings and fittings
• overloading with a flag larger than the pole is designed for
• lack of maintenance, such as loose base bolts

The materials are compared in the guide to flagpole materials.

Sustainability

A flag that lasts longer means fewer flags made and discarded. Choosing a flag of the right size for the pole, taking it in during storms and repairing a frayed fly early all extend its life. When a synthetic flag is finally worn out, Canadian Heritage describes tearing it into strips of a single colour for disposal rather than burning it, because of environmental damage and the fire hazard. The Gouvernement du Québec describes cutting a worn flag of Québec into strips and sending them for recycling. In Ottawa, Beechwood Cemetery, the National Cemetery of Canada, operates a program to respectfully retire national and provincial flags.

A second life for Parliament Hill flags

Flags that have flown on Parliament Hill are not discarded after a day or a week aloft. According to Canadian Heritage, a flag taken down is dried, folded and stored for distribution, and any Canadian resident can ask to receive one, free of charge, one per person and household. According to Public Services and Procurement Canada, the wait is now more than 100 years.