North Battleford is the latest in a long line of communities to raise a rainbow-coloured flag at City Hall.
The flag was raised in support of diversity and to show solidarity with gay and lesbian athletes competing at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The Russian government has come under criticism for bringing in anti-gay-rights legislation there.
On hand for the flag raising were councillors Ryan Bater and Ray Fox as well as several members of the Sakewew Gay-Straight Alliance, a delegation that included Sakewew vice-principal Reid Stewart and several students.
Several other city officials were also there, including Building Inspector Jerry Wintonyk, who is usually responsible for raising flags at City Hall.
The flag flew Feb. 14, Valentines Day, in place of a Heart and Stroke flag that was up in commemoration of Heart and Stroke Month. It was noted the Heart and Stroke Foundation was willing to make way for the rainbow flag to go up for that day.
The flag raising coincided with some other events happening that day at Sakewew High School in support of athletes at the Olympics. The Sakewew Gay-Straight Alliance organized their own "Gay Pride Olympics" at the school in the afternoon.
Tasha Moccasin, who became involved in the club when she enrolled in Cree classes at the high school this year, expressed support for the raising of the rainbow flag at City Hall and for the gay-straight alliance.
"The absolute respect that these children have as people is what I am trying to promote and why I am here and supporting all of this with them," she said.
Moccasin said they were "raising awareness and support for our fellow Olympians" and called the support "more amazing than anything."
This follows on the heels of decisions this past week to put up the rainbow flag at city halls in Saskatoon and Regina, as well as at the Saskatchewan legislature. The flag has also been raised at numerous other city halls across Canada.
The decision to put up the flag at North Battleford City Hall did not require a council meeting resolution. Bater told reporters the issue was discussed informally at executive committee Monday, and all councillors there were on board with putting the flag up.
The reason for the timing is "because the Olympic games are on right now," said Bater.
"When the athletes enter the games they represent 90 different countries, and a lot of those countries don't get along in the real world outside of the games. In fact, many of them are in open conflict. But at the games, people enter with a spirit of competitiveness but also a spirit of humanity, and we use sport to celebrate what makes us all the same as humans."
Part of that, said Bater, is "recognizing and celebrating diversity, and it's unfortunate that the games are being hosted in a country that has laws that contradict that diversity as it relates to same-sex relationships."
The flag raising was meant to send a signal that "the laws that exist there, we don't agree with them. And here in Canada and here in North Battleford, we celebrate diversity and it's something we're very proud of."
