Small business owners in one Canadian village will soon pay the cost of a brand new flag pole, if lawmakers get their way.
The Globe and Mail reports that the cost of the $3.5-million flag pole - which will be the tallest flag pole in North America at 125-metres - will be paid for by the 2,500 business owners in Emery Village under pending legislation. The average business owner would have to fork over more than $2,000.
The local government is hoping that the increased exposure from the oversized pole and flag - which will be roughly the size of a football field - will help the area thrive. As it stands now, the area may need a renovation before people would consider going there as a tourist destination, the news source reports.
Even business owners in the area are skeptical that people will ever flock to the village.
"I don't like this area much," Renato D'Armento, owner of Da Peppino, said in an interview with the news provider. "This neighbourhood, there are no houses around here. Only factories."
The local lawmakers are hoping to help the economy thrive, bringing more business and jobs to the municipality. The Canadian economy could use the help. Statistics Canada reports that the county lost 139,000 full-time jobs last month, making the country's unemployment rate rise to 8 percent.
