New West council believes it's time to ditch the Royal City moniker and come up with something that's more reflective of the community as a whole.
Council has approved a motion by Mayor Jonathan Cote to begin the process of updating the city’s logo and phasing out the use of the “Royal City” moniker in its branding. The motion, approved by council on Monday night, would also see the city develop a plan to engage with the community in the development “of a new brand identity that is inclusive and allows for collective pride in our city.”
Cote said there was a discussion about moving away from the Royal City branding many years ago, but council decided not to pursue the initiative after hearing from community members who were concerned about the plan. He said a lot has changed in the community since those conversations took place more than a decade ago.
“I don't think the conversation is going to be the same one that happened 17 years ago,” he said. “I think there is actually a growing recognition that we are on a path towards reconciliation, that we are doing some incredible work regarding the inclusivity of our community. And I believe that largely the community will be ready to have this this discussion.”
Cote believes the proposal is an important step and move forward from the city.
“We are a community that has many histories that need to be celebrated and focused upon,” he said. “We have many histories that existed well before we were a city that need to be reflected in upon in the work we do.”
The motion’s preamble says New Westminster is committed to building a community that is equitable, inclusive and welcoming. It goes on to say that the city embraces reconciliation as a path forwarding to charting a new relationship with Indigenous people and Nations.
Cote said branding can be symbolic, but it also makes a statement – and it’s important to ensure that branding is connected to the city’s vision. He said the motion doesn’t mean the city can’t continue with its celebrations, such as the “quirky” tradition of blowing up anvils in May.
“But it is about recognizing that there are many other parts of our community and other parts of our histories that also need to be to be highlighted and reflected in the city branding,” he said.
“Not appropriate”
Cote noted that when he sends letters to Indigenous nations, it’s done on City of New Westminster letterhead that has a colonial crown.
“From my perspective, I think that's not appropriate for that to be the symbol of our city,” he said.
Cote, who is not seeking re-election in the Oct. 15 civic election, said it will be up to the next council and the community to engage in a discussion about what the City of New Westminster’s branding should be.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr joked that Cote had left council with “a nice parting grenade” before the election. He said he’s thought some of the city’s branding that featured a big golden crowns was “a little bit over the top” and has supported “softening” the Royal City part of the branding.
“I'm glad that you did say, next council and I'm glad that you did say community engagement. Something like this, it requires a lot of community engagement. It 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. “It shouldn't be something that creates an insecurity. It should be something where they're participants in helping us rebrand the city.”
Cote said he didn’t view his motion as leaving a grenade for the next council, but as being the right time to engage in this conversation.
Coun. Mary Trentadue said the city is always changing, and she suspects there are many people who don’t even know what the Royal City means. Like Cote, she’s not seeking re-election.
“I look forward to participating in some of those community discussions,” she said. “I think that the more we can be inclusive and welcoming to everyone, the better.”
Coun. Patrick Johnstone believes the rebranding of the City of New Westminster can be positive community-building opportunity for all citizens.
“I expect it will be a fiery and robust discussion in the community about who the community is, and how we want to define ourselves,” he said. “I think that's a healthy conversation, and it can be a really positive conversation. And everybody who's taking part in it, whether they want to have a more traditional branding, or whether they want to have a really new and innovative and different branding, have an opportunity to come into the conversation with an open mind and with ideas and a willingness to share ideas.”
Coun. Jaimie McEvoy said New Westminster has a rich heritage that goes beyond one moniker.
“I think it's a good initiative,” he said. “And if we want to speak to your tradition, and we want to speak to history, there's a lot more to consider than what's been traditionally included.”
Puchmayr questioned how Cote envisions the process would work, given the “critical” staffing issues currently being faced by the city. After hearing Cote’s response, he voted against the motion.
Cote said the city’s communication staff have been downplaying the use of the Royal City branding for a number of years and will continue to phase out the use of the moniker. He said any larger work related to the motion wouldn’t occur until the next council is in place and can determine where it falls on its priority list.
