New Westminster to rethink ‘Royal City’ branding in the spirit of reconciliation

New Westminster is considering a new logo and removing the “Royal City” moniker from its branding.

The idea was put forward by Mayor Jonathan X. Coté at city council on Monday night. He says the city needs to ditch the crown in order to move ahead with reconciliation and be a more equitable, inclusive, and welcoming city.

The city’s colonial past spans more than 160 years. It was founded by the Royal Engineers and served as a trade route, according to its archives.

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New Westminster was named by Queen Victoria after her favourite neighbourhood in England — Westminster. The Queen proclaimed it the Royal City and declared New West the capital of the new colony of British Columbia until it lost its title to the City of Victoria in the late 1860s.

A screen grab of the Twitter account for the City of New Westminster which features colonial branding. (Courtesy: Twitter/New Westminster)

While the city’s logo and branding would be getting a new look, council did not explore the idea to change the other references to its royal past, including Royal Avenue, Port Royal Park, Queens Park, Queensborough Community Centre, or Royal Columbia Hospital.

The official logo for the New Westminster Police Department, which features a crown, will also remain the same. (Credit: NWPD)

The next steps are to develop a plan to engage with the community on the new brand.

The motion comes a few months ahead of the municipal election. Coté has previously announced he will not be seeking re-election.