By Thom Paterson
There are two important matters coming before Council on Monday, April 28: the branding exercise and the effective representation review.
There has been a lot of effort, and unfortunately too much money, spent on producing a new logo; a new visual identity for Clearview Township. The logo design was presented and approved at the last Council meeting. Most residents saw the new logo for the first time in the local media last week. The next and final step is to approve the brand implementation plan on April 28.
In marketing terms, a place brand for our municipality is not something concrete. Rather, it is what people think and feel when they experience Clearview Township. It is our story: who we are and what we aspire to be as a community. This was not created for us; it is how we see ourselves and how those residents who were invited to take part in the logo creation process described their community.
I was proud to hear residents talk about our agricultural roots, sense of history, respect for the land and the peaceful, natural beauty of our landscapes. Residents described our distinctive small-town Ontario lifestyle as one they wanted to remain safe, connected and affordable. These are values that have been consistently identified in many of the planning exercises over the past few years.
A logo by itself is just a graphic element. A good logo can represent these values visually. However, and more importantly, a good brand has to deliver on the implied promise to live up to these values in all we do as a municipality. A logo alone cannot deliver on this promise.
It is fundamentally more important to have a very clear understanding of who we are, to reach agreement on what we aspire to be as a community in Clearview Township, and then to put a plan in place to support these values, than it is to create a new logo.
The plan Council will see on April 28 is simply the implementation plan to launch the new logo and to guide its use on signage, merchandise, brochures, vehicles, etc. What’s needed are policies and a decision-making framework to ensure that the values we identify with are maintained.
Preparing an economic development strategy that embraces these values is one way to maintain their relevance long after the excitement about a logo has faded. It would outline the strategies to govern Township decisions when approving the pending residential and industrial growth in Clearview in line with our stated values such as affordability, respect for the land and the preservation of our beautiful landscapes.
Council should not approve any more expense towards logo implementation until there is a firm commitment to put in place plans to support the values identified and agreed to by our residents.
Deadline for public input extended
The other issue coming to Council on April 28 is the final recommendation from the Effective Representation Advisory Committee (ERAC). The Committee has been looking for input from the public to help make Council more effective and help make communication to and from the public more responsive. To date, only 13 input forms have been received, so the deadline has been extended to Friday, April 25.
Find the input form at www.clearview.ca under Committees/Effective Representation Committee, at the Creemore and Stayner branches of the Clearview Public Library or at the Administration Centre in Stayner. Please take the time to participate and send in your comments.