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Kawartha Lakes, Ontario (Canada)

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[Kawartha Lakes Ontario flag] 1:2 image by Eugene Ipavec
Source: Canadian City Flags, Raven 18

See also:


Kawartha Lakes

The City of Kawartha Lakes is a unitary municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. It is a municipality legally structured as a single-tier city; however, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontario county and is mostly rural. The main population centres are the communities of Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay, Omemee and Woodville


Current Flag

Text and image(s) from Canadian City Flags, Raven 18 (2011), courtesy of the North American Vexillological Association, which retains copyright. Image(s) by permission of Eugene Ipavec.

Design

The flag of the City of Kawartha Lakes has a white field. At its base are rolling stripes, green over blue, curving downward in the hoist side and arching upward in the fly side. The width of the green stripe is about one-sixth of the flag’s height; the blue stripe varies from one-sixth to one-third. Rising from the upper stripe, in the fly side, are two stylized evergreen trees in green, the left a third shorter than the right, which extends nearly to the flag’s upper edge. On the white area in the hoist half, centred over the lowest level of the stripes, is a disc whose diameter is nearly one-half the height of the flag, graduated in colour from yellow at its base to orange at its top a word coined in 1895 by Martha Whetung of the Curve Lake First Nation meaning “bright waters and happy lands”.
Christopher Bedwell, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Symbolism

The blue stripe represents the Trent-Severn Waterway and the lakes of the area. The green stripe represents the local farming and agricultural areas, as well as park trails. The sun celebrates Kawartha Lakes as a travel destination, and the evergreen trees represent the sustainable “green” growth of the city. Previously known as Victoria County, the City of Kawartha Lakes was created through amalgamation of the county and its constituent municipalities in 2001. Kawartha is an anglicisation of Ka-wa-tha, itself a word coined in 1895 by Martha Whetung of the Curve Lake First Nation meaning “bright waters and happy lands”.
Christopher Bedwell, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Selection

In 2007, Councillor Gord James proposed a community contest to create a city flag. The entries were judged by a committee of three, representing the city’s north, central, and south areas, with voting by the public. 135 designs were entered and approximately 6,300 votes were cast. The winning design won 1,998 votes and a grand prize of $500 for its designer.
Christopher Bedwell, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Designer

Daryle Anne Wright of Oakwood, Ontario.
Christopher Bedwell, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

More about the flag

The flag represents the unification of a county and 14 former townships into the city’s 16 new political wards.
Christopher Bedwell, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

John Chambers reports in The Lindsay Daily Post, 1 May 2007, that the City of Kawartha Lakes might soon have an official flag:

Ward 12 Coun. Gord James' proposal to create an official flag for the City of Kawartha Lakes received broad support from the corporate and human resource services committee Monday.

[...]

Under James' proposal, a community contest would be held that is open to individuals, schools, community groups and business organizations. A small committee of three individuals representing the city's north, central and south areas would act as judges and establish criteria. The proposal is expected to be brought forward to council's May 8 meeting. Committee members on side with the plan noted that with ongoing branding initiatives within the city, a single unified flag representing the 14 former townships and 16 new wards, would be an asset to the city.

Ivan Sache, 6 May 2007

Final Results

From the Kawartha Lakes website:

Congratulations to Daryle Anne Wright of Oakwood who won the Flag Design Contest with 1998 votes! The flag features the sun and 2 green trees over waves of green and blue. Ms. Wright will be awarded the Grand Prize of $500.

Flag details:

Colours - Blue represents the Trent Severn Waterway and the lakes of the Kawartha Lakes. Green represents our agricultural areas and trails. Yellow/Orange represents that we are a tourist destination. All of these colours represent the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Symbols - The evergreen trees symbolize the "green" growth of our city and agriculture. The sun symbolizes that we are a tourist destination area, also a recognizable symbol from the logo.

Overall Design - This design represents special areas we are known for: our lakes and waterways, our agriculture and trails as well as our tourist destinations.

Valentin Poposki, 27 January 2009