Councillor Walt Visser teed off on changes to the use of the Centre Wellington Township crest again last week – but councillors approved a move to decrease its presence to mere ceremonial uses.
The move came at the committee of the whole on June 13 when Economic Development Manager Dave Rushton presented a report on a new Brand and Graphics Standards Manual.
He said the township adopted a usage manual he recommended in 2007, and at that time, the mayor and councillors were using the crest on their business cards and official notices.
He wrote in his report, “Four years later, we found that we have created brand confusion.
“Quite often we are using two brands together such as a staff person and mayor or council handing out business cards and they are different. We have had the situation in the Newspaper when we run two notices one with the crest and one with the logo.”
Rushton added, “Our buildings have both signs on them. Our perimeter signs have a crest and the interior community and way finding signs have the logo.
“To clarify the situation, we are recommending that the crest be used on our corporate seal, flag, and on the mayor’s chain of office.”
Visser wondered why there is confusion if the 2007 manual was used properly, and he was critical of the movement away from the original crest, whose elements were chosen by school children in the community when the transition board was creating the merged communities of Fergus, Elora, and the Townships of Eramosa, Nichol, Pilkington, and West Garafraxa.
“I’m totally opposed,” Visser told council of Rushton’s plan to eliminate the crest even more.
“The crest was designed by the community.” It holds elements such as fish from the Grand River, farm produce for the townships, a thistle to represent Fergus, and even a fold-in art style that can show Elora’s Tooth of Time.
As for the current logo, Visser said, “This logo represents nothing. Every municipality has a sun. Ninety per cent, at the very least, have a river.”
He added that Rushton had said when he convinced council to approve the logo in 2007 that it would be used only for tourism promotion purposes.
“Now, I see it on tax bills. I see it on everything,” he said of that 2007 manual being ignored.
Councillor Kelly Linton said he supports the logo. “The township paid good money … We need to be consistent.”
Councillor Steve Vanleeuwen asked why there were “two in the first place.”
Visser said that one argument that Rushton had used to convince council in 2007 was that there was difficulty reproducing the crest. He called that complaint “a joke from Day One. It works fine.”
Vanleeuwen said, “We need to have one. Were we mandated to replace – or did we jut kind of drift?”
Centre Wellington is not the only municipality in Wellington County to start with a logo using elements chosen by school children to represent their new community.
Every municipality that hired an economic development staff person soon also had proposals to “rebrand” and one of the first recommendations was to change the original municipal logo.
Councillor Kirk McElwain said he was not involved in the 2007 decision, but added it has been “a long, arduous process to where it sits now.”
He said he tended to agree with Linton. “We need to focus at this point.”
Councillor Mary Lloyd said she agrees the issue should be “all or nothing.”
Council then voted to approve Rushton’s manual. Only Visser was opposed. Councillor Fred Morris was absent.
Council ratified its committee decision at its regular meeting on Monday night. All councillors were present.
