Last modified: 2011-10-28 by rob raeside
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Back when I joined this list, one of the first images I posted was the flag of
the City of Winnipeg, where I live. Since then, I have gotten "up close and personal"
to an actual flying copy of the flag (it was flying in a park behind me, where I
was waiting at a bus stop). Really got to see it fly, too, was a fierce winter
storm then and got to examine the flag in between cursing the infamous
David Kendall, 7 April 1997
I found online a meaning of the colours of the City of Winnipeg flag. The url is http://winnipeg.ca/clerks/pdfs/manuals/municipal/MMPart_1.pdf:
On October 1, 1975, Council adopted the flag of The City of Winnipeg. The flag consists of the City Crest on a field of blue and yellow. The blue field indicates the city’s clear blue skies and the yellow represents golden wheat fields, the original basic economy of the City. The blue and yellow design was adopted as the official colours for the City’s Centennial celebrations in 1974.David Kendall, 23 January 1998
I found online a meaning of the colours of the City of Winnipeg coat of arms. The url is http://winnipeg.ca/clerks/pdfs/manuals/municipal/MMPart_1.pdf:
The City has had two official coats of arms or crests in its history. The original bore the motto, “Commerce, prudence, industry.” Elements shown on the crest included a bison, once very common on the prairie, a steam engine to represent the coming of the railroad to Winnipeg, and sheaves of wheat to symbolize the staple crop that brought prosperity to a young city. Winnipeg’s current official Coat of Arms was granted by the College of Heralds in London, England. On January 24, 1973, Council adopted this crest, which symbolizes both the events of unification and the traditional heritage of the combined areas.
The significance of the emblazonry upon the crest is as follows:
The Fort Garry Gate at the top represents Winnipeg’s early history as a Hudson’s Bay fur trading centre. Beneath the gate is a shield divided into two parts. The top part contains thirteen gold stars on a blue field, symbolizing the thirteen former municipal governments that were unified to create the new City.
The blue background depicts Winnipeg’s clear blue skies. Below the sky, a prairie crocus upon a plain green field represents Winnipeg’s location as a prairie City. The ribbons at the top and bottom represent the ribbon that ties the community together.
The motto of the crest, “UNUM CUM VIRTUTE MULTORUM” is Latin for “One with the strength of many”. Two thoughts lie behind this motto. Firstly, Winnipeg is perhaps uniquely one city formed of people of all races; and secondly, it is one city formed from many cities.
David Kendall, 23 January 1998
image by David Kendall
The logo, adopted on Jan. 18. 2001, as per http://winnipeg.ca/clerks/pdfs/manuals/municipal/MMPart_1.pdf is used "as a symbol of the city", but I've seen it more and more used as a flag, even more than the "official" flag. (Again, as per the above website: "The current flag with its crest will remain in place as an official representation of the City of Winnipeg for ceremonial and official purposes. The new logo will be placed on banners and flags for promotional purposes. ") For example, a few weeks ago, I talked about the main downtown intersection of Portage Ave. and Main Street, vexillologically significant because of the 39 flag poles placed there during the Pan Am Games in 1999 and never taken down. They often fly the Canada, Manitoba, and Winnipeg flags, but, oftentimes for Winnipeg, the "logo flag" is used instead.
The Winnipeg Logo captures the spirit, energy and diversity of our City while balancing a sense of our heritage with our progressiveness. It is also an interpretive depiction of our character, our people and our landscape, making it uniquely Winnipeg. Though each person who sees the symbol will ultimately apply his/her own set of values and meanings, each of the logo elements carries with it a theme that represents Winnipeg.David Kendall, 12 June 2005
The two crescents atop the sweeping plane symbolize an embrace reminiscent of the caring, friendly and welcoming nature of the people here. The depiction of movement in these two elements alludes to the momentum and dynamism that is evident throughout the City. The sweeping line that supports the two crescents represents the vast horizon line and open sky that is characteristic of Winnipeg. The red circle in the centre of the logo symbolizes the heart of our community and our people. It is also suggestive of the fact that Winnipeg is located at the centre of the country and the continent. The rich colour palette symbolizes the diversity that exists in our cultures, our seasons and our crisp, clean, beautiful landscapes.
As a whole, the graphic resembles a rising sun above the horizon and also mimics the form of a leaping figure. These combined elements depict the energy and momentum of our forward-looking nature, while the positioning line speaks to the strength of our character.
In 1972, Winnipeg amalgamated its suburbs into the city proper (what the
stars on the city's crest on the city's flag stand for). I currently live in the
area of Transcona, which, like the other areas of the city, was its own town,
then city, before amalgamation (in fact, in 1972, Transcona was the third
largest city in Manitoba). We recently visited the Transcona Historical Museum,
and I asked if there was a town flag when Transcona was its own city. Attached
is the response.
I received your research request and our records indicate that the Town of Transcona did not have its own specific flag. Rather, the Union Jack Flag and the old Canadian Flag were present. The earliest document of a flag in Transcona was in 1915 where the Union Jack Flag flew on top of Southside School. In 1931, the Transcona Golf Club Clubhouse flew the old Canadian flag. In 1936, we have documentation suggesting that the Union Jack Flag was flown at the Transcona Jubilee Parade.
Morgan Dziad, Research Assistant, Transcona Historical Museum
David Kendall, 25 August 2010