Shocked residents of a Burnaby, B.C., community say they were stunned to see a confederate flag flying in their neighbourhood, especially in light of the recent unrest south of the border.

The homeowner denies that the flag, that has been associated with neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups, has racist connotations.

Instead, the man, who only wants to be identified by Tom, says he erected the flag two weeks ago to honour an American friend living in the southern U.S. who is on his death bed.

"I have a very sick friend who did unbelievable things as a human being and the fact that he did it as a black man and what he accomplished in his life," he told CTV News.

"It's got nothing to do with any of that other crap. Believe me I'm not like that."

But neighbours don't share Tom's view, seeing the flag as a symbol of intolerance and hatred.

"I just couldn't really believe that someone was actually flying that flag at this moment in time with everything that's going on in the States," said Anna Czarkowski.

"You just wouldn't think this kind of thing would happen in Canada."

Tom planned on leaving up the flag until his friend passed away, but appears to have had a change of heart.

After he and his family received threats and were called racist, Tom has now taken down the flag.

Members of the Burnaby RCMP detachment also paid a visit to the home Tuesday evening.

"I'm only second-guessing it to a certain point for the safety of my family," he said.

"But when does my right get infringed upon by somebody else's right who thinks they're correct?"

With files from CTV Vancouver's Allison Tanner and Ben Miljure