The reminder consists of the thirteen flags of the ten provinces and three territories of Canada. The flags are flown from flagpoles atop the eastern side of the Canada Customs and Border Inspection Station at the Canada-U.S. border. The flags themselves are mere feet into Canada, being seen on the south side of the highway as it turns west to head into the customs building.
From left to right, or south to north, the flags represent:
Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba
British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan
Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories
Yukon and Nunavut.
A story to go with these flags, also a WARNING:
When "playing the game" in the vicinity of national borders it would behoove one to pay attention to where they are at all times. As I approached the border, getting nearer and nearer, I noticed no place at which I could turn around and avoid actually crossing the border. Finally I spied a small parking area to one side and pulled in there. As I got out of the car I spied a Border Monument directly in front of me, only a few feet away, meaning that I was that close to the border. Given that my initial target was those Border Monuments, I considered this a bit of serendipity.
It transpired that this was NOT serendipity; this was quite the opposite. As I was focusing on the flags here I was approached by two Canadian border guards and asked a bucketful of questions, which included "Where is your vehicle?" When they learned where I had parked they broke the bad news that, from that spot I could no longer turn around. I MUST enter the U.S., where they would refuse me entry and I could return back to my homeland.
When it comes to border crossings, even between two purportedly amicable countries, things are never as straightforward as one might expect. Suffice it to say that the U.S. Homeland Security folks took about an hour to process me and send me on my way. On returning to Canada from my 100 or so foot excursion into foreign territory, it took Canadian Customs about half that time to process me, as well. A major problem was that I had not taken my passport on this trip, as never in a million years had I expected to be crossing the border. As the TV ad says,
Don't Leave Home Without It!
