Alberta town restricts flag and crosswalk designs with new bylaw
The Town of Didsbury officially passed a bylaw restricting which flags can be displayed on municipal property and requiring standardized crosswalk designs.
Didsbury, located about 70 kilometres north of Calgary, announced the Public Space Neutrality Bylaw in a release on March 11, 2026. The town council has since approved it during its March 24 regular meeting, passing it by a four-to-three vote.
The bylaw limits flags flown on town-owned buildings and property to official government flags, like the Town of Didsbury flag, the Alberta flag, and the Canadian flag. It also requires crosswalks and road markings on municipal streets to follow standard designs.
Speaking during the March 24 council meeting, Didsbury Mayor Chris Little said the bylaw is not intended to limit expression.
“The bylaw does not ban anything. It does not ban expression of any kind,” he said. “Residents of Didsbury remain completely free to express their views, values, and identities however they choose, as long as they comply with existing laws.”
The new bylaw does not affect private property and only applies to municipally owned spaces.
“It also does not apply to schools, the library, private property, or any space that is not a town-owned flagpole or crosswalk,” Little said.
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The bylaw takes effect immediately following its third and final reading, and town staff will begin reviewing municipal flagpoles and crosswalks, with any non-compliant items required to be removed within 30 days.
This isn’t the first time a bylaw like this has been passed in Alberta. In 2024, the towns of Westlock and Barhead passed similar bylaws.