For most loyal Canadians, it's a season of Remembrance, and a time to honour the memory of the brave men and women who risked or sacrificed their limbs and lives in defence of their freedom.

For one couple in an Orangeville luxury condominium, according to information obtained by this paper, it's a time to come under fire for displaying the Canadian flag in their window "to Honour the Men and Women serving our Country in Afghanistan," Doug and Sharon Shaw said in a letter to the assistant deputy minister of National Defence.

However, the rules of the condominium corporation at 200 Broadway prohibit any window covering other than curtains or blinds of white or offwhite. There is no exception provided in the condo's bylaws.

The letter to DND is dated Oct. 7. On Oct. 23, a letter to Mr. and Mrs. Shaw from the property manager advised that there had been "a number of complaints" about the flag, apparently based on a fear that the flag would "open the door for other residents to place other window coverings such as sheets, an American Flag, cardboard, tinfoil, etc."

In response to property manager Kim Jaspers- Fayer, Mr. Shaw said he does "not consider the flag of my country a window covering.

"I have window coverings that comply. It is not tin foil, a dirty bed sheet, or cardboard. It is our national flag placed in my window during a time of war to honour the men and women that give of themselves to serve this country to maintain our freedom and way of life."

Contacted by phone, Mr. Jaspers-Fayer denied that anyone had objected to the flag, as such. It was, he said, only to the straying from the rules of the corporation.

He had said in his letter that the rules had been put in place "to ensure the exterior of the building has a uniform appearance, thereby maintaining the value of all units." However, when told that the windows on the Little York side are anything but "uniform," and some have other items attached to the interior, he said the intent was not to be "completely uniform but not to have anything stand out as tacky."

He said Mr. Shaw would have a number of measures he could try. One would be to ask that the rules by changed to make an exception for the Canadian flag - in which case there would have to be a vote of the condo members. Another would be to place the flag in his solarium window, or to hang it inside the condo - beyond the required plain white or off-white window covering.

Mr. Shaw, who teaches high school, could not be reached for comment. However, as of Wednesday, there was no flag visible from the exterior of 200 Broadway.