OPINION: New West, it's more than just a crown

I’ve lived in New Westminster for five years, and I’m still taking in what people are passionate about. One of these topics includes the discussion around the city’s identity.

It didn’t take long after I’d tweeted out Monday night’s decision at council for people to start talking about monikers. In fact, I asked our readers if they had ideas (a lot of you did — some thoughtful, some clever, some funny, and some that definitely had me going, ‘what?!’).

Before I moved to New West, I asked my then-fiance what the community was like, and he wasn’t 100% sure. Our friends in the community couldn’t answer, either. I moved here because I’m a bit of a pushover; I lost an argument about how central New West is relative to other municipalities. All it took was my husband saying New West was “about 20 minutes from anywhere.”

But is that really our identity? Some of you have (half-jokingly) said yes.

As our publication has grown, I’ve met people who hold a variety of perspectives, opinions, and beliefs. Every single person I’ve spoken with, like clockwork, always has the same two things to say: “I love New West. I love this community.”

So, what is the community? Is it that yellow crown? Is it the Royal City moniker? When this motion passed at council Monday, I had a lot of thoughts running through my head.

Resources

As we reported in one of our June stories, the City of New Westminster is not operating at full capacity because it doesn’t have enough staff. Some projects were pushed to at least next year. Cote said this would be something for the new council to look at; where they choose to prioritize it would be their call.

Financial costs

City rebrands aren’t exactly a drop in the bucket. One recent example can be found in Winnipeg, where the work done to come up with a new logo and slogan cost about $250,000 and took approximately four years to roll out. About three years ago, the town of Franklin, Wisconsin chose to get rid of its ‘Flying F’ logo, to the tune of about $81,000 USD.

In both cases, a tourism commission was involved; in the latter situation, the City of Franklin picked up 40% of the contract cost, while the tourism commission paid for the rest.

Feedback

Does such a change work better with a plebiscite? If you’re going, “Ria, that word plebiscite looks familiar – where have I heard it?” It was tossed around when many of us had to vote on the transit-related one in 2015. I was also curious to know if there would have been an opportunity to put the question on Be Heard New West before the motion was tabled.

Also, councillor Chuck Puchmayr underscored the importance of community discussion. “[This change] requires engagement with our many Indigenous communities. It requires engagement with people that hold some of those traditional values extremely close to their heart,” he said, adding that he wanted this to be a respectful discussion among neighbours.

Current events

Cote said there were other parts of the community that needed to be reflected in the city branding, noting a colonial crown at the top of city letterhead was inappropriate; later, he mentioned the city had been moving away from its use.

What could this process look like?

Wetaskiwin in Alberta is working on a 50-year community visioning process to properly capture its identity. At the time of the announcement, the city’s symbol included a water tower.

Final thoughts

I hate the phrase “there is a lot to unpack,” but I feel it is appropriate. I don’t think you can ever get anything perfect, but to be passive about a discussion on our identity doesn’t feel right.

However, we have people in our community who can’t always speak up about these issues. Maybe they can’t actively participate because they’re working two jobs to make rent while trying to be active in their kids’ lives. Maybe they don’t have the luxury of being at a council meeting, or spending a half hour talking with friends and neighbours about what the next city symbol could look like. Aside from socio-economic barriers, maybe there are cultural ones. Maybe people are afraid to participate because they think they will be met with snide remarks. The ability to speak openly with people in your community about these topics is an important part of belonging, and we have all learned the importance of making meaningful connections — especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, I’m passing the mic, and opening up the floor to you:

• What do you think of the decision?

• Do you think there should be a change?

• Do you like/not like that it’s happening?

• What do you think the new symbol should look like?

Email your thoughts to [email protected], and we’ll share them with our readers. Submissions may be edited for clarity and length.

Ria Renouf is the Managing Editor of New West Anchor. She was born in Newmarket, Ontario, and grew up in Burnaby. She has also spent time living in the Philippines. Renouf moved to New Westminster in 2017, and resides with her husband in the downtown area.