OPERATION TOWER BRIDGE: WHEN THE REIGNING MONARCH DIES

This blog post is explores from a municipal perspective, now that Queen Elizabeth, the reigning monarch, has died the protocols Council and the municipality follow as part of The Common Wealth.

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When a Reigning Monarch Dies

Admittedly, you would be hard-pressed to call me a Royalist. (Though I have been known to read an article or two about the fashion at The Royal Ascot. Come on, Kate's fashion sense is pretty on point.) But, in the words of the Grey Highlands CEO, Karen Govan,

Whether you were or were not a royalist, I think we can all agree, that 70 years in the highest government office in the Commonwealth is dedication and a great achievement.

So, what happens next?

Operation Tower Bridge

As a member of the Commonwealth, Canada has protocols to follow: Operation Tower Bridge was established to provide governments of the UK and commonwealth countries with certain mourning practices to follow. While most of these practices relate to Federal Government, some are established for all levels of government. As such, the municipality will need to:

• Lower all municipal flags to half-mast until the evening of the Queen’s funeral

• Drape the portrait of Queen Elizabeth in the Council chambers with a black cloth

• Cover the Canadian flag in chambers

• Place a book of condolence at the front entrance for the community to sign.

• Later forward the book to the MP’s office for distribution to the UK government.

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DISCLAIMER The staff at The Municipality of Grey Highlands are experts in their respective fields. If something here is different than staff's advice, always follow staff's direction. And, then please email me at danivaliquette@gmail.com with what I got wrong. 

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