We have three primary flags.
The first is the official flag of Newfoundland and Labrador, which replaced (in the 1980s) and is heavily based on the Union flag. It represents the entire province.
Then we have the Newfoundland Tricolour, sometimes called the Republic or Liberation flag. It's somewhat associated with independence, or at least a distaste for having joined Canada in 1949, but it's more than that as well (for example, completely normal to see it flown with the Canadian flag outside homes). It's the oldest of our flags and represents only the island of Newfoundland. Although never an official flag (our official one at that time was always a generic colonial-style one), it was used for many official things (for example, the program from the first performance of our former national anthem featured it). And it is the official flag of some entities (for example, the city's fire department).
In reality, it's likely just based on a Catholic fraternal organization's flag but the agreed symbolism today is "The pink, the rose of England shows; the green, St. Patrick's emblem bright; while, in between, the spotless sheen of Andrew's Cross displays the white."
A lot of family connections between the people behind our flag and Ireland's flag.
And finally, the flag of Labrador. I'm not sure if I can call this one official as there is no Labrador-only political body that could declare it such, but it's official. Flown at every government building up there, every town hall, half the houses... they even erect it themselves at border crossings if the provincial government in St. John's has them pulled down.
Each branch on the twig represents an Indigenous/settler group (white, Metis, Innu, Inuit, etc.).
You'll see all these in varying combinations everywhere.
Yeah, it definitely has an empty look.
Most in St. John's are only up for the summer. Things like those Volcano Bakery steps, though, are usually permanent.
In smaller cities, I'm not sure when/if they come down, but they've always been there when I've visited in spring/summer. Even little towns of a few hundred sometimes have a mini-Pride thing for their one gay resident
We also have a Bible belt, though, especially around Eastport where those beaches are. Lots of Christian fish symbols on cars and buildings, churches with really aggressive bulletin boards, etc.
Our only saving grace is that we all (even right-wingers) seem to have agreed certain things aren't meant to be legislated or dealt with politically. So even though we have lots of people who are, for example, anti-abortion, we have only a handful who would ever push for that politically.
Excruciatingly cold. I lasted a few seconds and the pain kept increasing for at least 10 more after I got out. A few people seemed to have no problem, though. Swimming here is best along the south coast (Sandbanks Provincial Park in Burgeo, for example) or in lakes/rivers, which can get quite comfortably warm. Many of the lakes and rivers are very near the ocean so it has a similar feeling as a pool at an oceanside resort. That's as good as it gets here. Definitely not a place to go ocean swimming.