Maria Canton
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 18/99) - Despite two city councillors abstaining from the vote, the HMCS Yellowknife crew will be the first group to be granted Yellowknife's Freedom of the City honour.

Councillors Kevin O'Reilly and Ben McDonald said they had some difficulty with the ceremony as it symbolically gives the crew authority over municipal law.

But Yellowknife Mayor Dave Lovell says the ceremony is a courtesy to the namesake crew, who are visiting the city for the first time.

"It's a sort of friendship ceremony," said Lovell.

"The two (city) councillors weren't against it, they didn't say no or present an opposition, they just decided they would prefer not to vote."

Traditionally, the Freedom of the City ceremony was used when cities were still forts. When a unit of the Canadian Forces was passing through, they would knock on the door of the fort and be granted permission to enter.

Today, the honour can be granted to either regular or reserve components of the Canadian Forces.

The 22-member Yellowknifer crew and three staff officers arrived in the city last night at the Department of Defence 440 Squadron hangar and will be returning to Victoria on Monday.

The Freedom of the City ceremony, which will take place this afternoon, follows a protocol which involves ceremonial rites between the chief constable, the crew's commanding officer, the mayor and city council members.

Friday evening, the crew will march towards city hall, stopping at a symbolic barrier where Yellowknife's chief constable will ask for the unit's identity, then granting the commanding officer permission to advance.

Marching to doors of city hall, the commanding officer will use the pommel of his sword to knock three times, the mayor will answer and ask the name of the officer and the crew.

Upon identification, the mayor and councillors will line the steps, read the proclamation and have it accepted. The chief constable then removes the barrier and the Freedom of the City is granted.

The honour only lasts for the day on which it is granted and then it is dissolved.