Crossfield Town council chose to accept an online vote that determined the new design of the town flag during its Nov. 6 meeting.
Last fall, council decided to adopt a new flag to help revitalize residents’ excitement for projects and events in town, as well as update the flag that was created in 1989 by a local youth and had to be hand-stitched as a digital copy does not exist.
Last fall, a committee dedicated to making the decision chose a white flag, like the one in the illustration, but with a smaller font, smaller Pete Knight logo and without the wheat embedded in the maple leaf.
After some residents came back to council with concerns in September, the committee chose to put the decision to a vote online, which ended on Oct. 16.
In the end, a slightly modified version of the previously accepted flag was chosen with 89 of 141 votes.
“I think that there were some good points brought forward in council meetings about the font, the legibility, the size of Pete Knight and what it would look like from a distance,” said Mayor Nathan Anderson. “I think it’s important that people know they have a real impact when they attend meetings.”
The adopted flag has a larger font, a larger Pete Knight logo, and includes the piece of wheat in the half maple leaf. Crossfield’s official colours are black, white and red.
“The only thing that really changed from the old flag to the new one is the colours and the name Crossfield,” said Anderson. “The thing I like about it is the colours really work because they are the colours of the town.”
Anderson said having the name of the town on the flag is going to be valuable at conventions such as the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association events, which sees dozens of Towns attend and fly their flag. Having the town name on the flag is not common.
“Small towns’ people don’t identify with flags, so it’s good the name is on it,” said Anderson.
Anderson is happy with the number of votes and called the decision a win for democracy. One-hundred-and-forty-one votes were submitted to the online contest. About 3,000 people live in Crossfield.
“You need to have the voice of the people behind it, especially a flag because it has to do with identity. I think it now has the foundation to stand on and it was approved by council,” said Anderson.
“I appreciate (residents) participating. I encourage folks who are interested or concerned about something in town to send an email and get on a council agenda. Their voices are very much considered. We listen very closely to the feedback we are given.”
