Council has approved the flying of a Ukrainian flag in solidarity with the eastern European country now under attack by the Russian military.
As soon as one can be purchased, the flag will replace the Houston flag at the municipal hall and will fly for three months after which council will decide its next move.
At the same time, council has approved sending $1,000 to the Red Cross to support its efforts for Ukrainian people.
The decision follows a letter from the City of Nelson asking other communities to match its own donation to the Red Cross.
That request arose out of a March 8 motion passed by the City of Nelson council.
The flag-flying request was first made in early March by local resident Marion Aerssens but put on hold while council considered its flag-flying policies for flags other than the national, provincial and muncipal ones.
The one existing policy, adopted in 2011, pertains to when flags are to be flown at half-mast and refers to individuals beginning with the Sovereign and extending down to national, provincial and local elected officials.
Flags may also be lowered for what the policy terms a “significant event or circumstance”.
Council has now asked District staffers to research what could be updates to its flag-flying policy for council to consider at a later date.
Houston, as did many governments, lowered its flags following the discovery of potential unmarked graves on the grounds where residential schools were once located.