The City of Yorkton is going to investigate erecting a fifth flag pole at City Hall Park.
The decision to look at the costs of such a project came about following a request made to the regular meeting of Yorkton Council Monday.
Typically the building that houses the R.C.M.P. has a flag flying in order to assist in identifying a station’s location, suggested Staff Sgt. Jeff Simpson at the regular meeting of Council Monday.
“The City Detachment of the R.C.M.P. being located in the City Hall building would like to request that the ‘Royal Canadian Mounted Police – F Division’ flag be flown at Yorkton City Hall Park,” he said.
As it now stands there are currently four flag poles at this location with three flags permanently flown: the national flag of Canada, the provincial flag of Saskatchewan and the municipal flag of the City of Yorkton.
The fourth flag pole, known as the courtesy flag pole, is used when approved by Council, at a duly constituted council meeting, by groups or organizations requesting to fly their flag in order to draw public awareness to their programs and activities.
“The RCMP would therefore like to request that the fourth flag pole, fly the RCMP flag when it is not being used by another group or organization,” said Simpson.
But Council was quick to suggest a more permanent home for the RCMP flag, with Councillor Mitch Hippsley suggesting the City go a step farther.
“I think we should put up a fifth pole and always fly the flag,” he said.
The idea, which Council generally was in favour of, is a reasonable one, pending the actual cost which Administration was asked to investigate.
The question that does arise out of the discussion is whether five poles are the answer, or should a sixth one be part of plan too?
Back in June Council received a request for the Treaty 4 flag to be flown in the park. The request was made by Isabel O’Soup Tribal Chief of the Yorkton Tribal Council which represents six First Nations under Treaty 4.
“I believe it is my responsibility to honour my ancestor’s agreement made nearly a century and a half ago,” stated O’Soup in a circulated letter at the time.
As background, the Treaty was established between Queen Victoria and the Cree, Assiniboine and Saulteaux First Nation bands.
“The area covered by Treaty 4 represents most of the southern Saskatchewan with the additions of small portions of western Manitoba and southeastern Alberta. This treaty is also called the “Qu’Appelle Treaty” as its first signings were conducted at Fort Qu’Appelle on September 15, 1874,” said O’Soup.
In addition O’Soup requested the flag remain flying at City Hall, but that part of her request was not approved, but was turned over to City Administration for a future report on what impact that decision might have given the number of flag requests the City receives.
Given that First Nations are themselves a level of government akin to the three permanent flags, the O’Soup request for a permanent installation does not seem out of line.
Nor does marking the RCMP detachment in accordance with what happens in other centres.
So is six poles the answer?
Perhaps, but this is more obviously a situation requiring some deeper study, and policy development at City Hall.
