(Nigerian Independence Day, October 1st, 2020)
The Town of Milton has made a decision on its flag raising policy.
Moving forward, the Town will no longer be raising foreign flags and declaring proclamations for National independence or republic days. Flag raisings will still be held for organizational celebrations, such as United Way’s campaign launch.
The Regional Councillor for Milton’s Ward 1, Colin Best, says raising foreign flags and holding proclamations wasn’t a typical practice for a municipality to do to begin with.
In the report provided, Town Staff notes that it went through similar policies for other municipalities. The new change is something that is followed by a number of Ontario municipalities, including Oakville, Burlington, Halton Hills, the Region of Halton, Toronto, Brampton and Ottawa.
Councillor Best adds that this doesn’t stop residents from celebrating.
The item was first raised in October of last year to some heated discussions between councillors. Staff decided to put the item on hold to allow for more review. They came to Monday’s meeting with three possible options, with Council voting to stick with Option #1:
- The Town of Milton no longer issues proclamations for National independence days, republic days, or raise flags of other nations.
- To ensure consistency, flags of other nations will not fly at facilities even if a group who has rented a facility would like to fly their flag during the duration of their rental that is permitted.
- National Flag Protocols are followed for visiting dignitaries, international competitions and
sporting events.
You can watch the full Town Council meeting here.
To read the full report, including the updated policy, click here.
