The flags of Grand Council Treaty 3 and the Metis Nation of Ontario will soon fly in front of the Fort Frances Civic Centre.
Council is agreeing to install two new flag poles to make that happen.
Councillor Mike Behan says with requests recently received from both organizations, now is the time to act.
“I think this is a great opportunity to move forward on this issue once and for all. Both Grand Council Treaty 3 and the local Metis Nation of Ontario have formally requested to fly their respective flags permanently at the Civic Centre grounds. Normally, I’d be a little bit reluctant to spend unbudgeted funds in general, but in this case, due to both requests being received and the fact that 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty Three, I think this is an important gesture on the part of the town to mark this anniversary with a Treaty Three flag raising,” says Behan.
The issue was initially raised by Mayor Andrew Hallikas at a recent meeting of the Indigenous Relations Advisory Committee.
Because the committee doesn’t have a terms of reference, Behan felt compelled to expedient the matter and bring it directly to council to consider.
The estimated cost of installing two flag poles is about six thousand dollars.
No timetable as to when the poles might go up.
Council members at the Indigenous Relations Advisory Committee suggested having them in place by the anniversary date of the Treaty signing in October.
