TO THE EDITOR:

Re: Rebranding of Champlain Township

Personal thoughts and opinions on the logo, strategy and cost of implementation aside … I am hopeful that this project serves as some kind of road map/inspiration for how we make decisions from this point forward. Whether it was the plan or not, it feels like the time is right.

But first, a bit of background. We moved here 5 years ago to take over Gibbs Honey from my uncles (a business that my grandfather started in 1934). When we visited to look at farms (on Trash and Treasure weekend no less) we felt like we discovered a true gem. Vibrant events every weekend, Beau’s and Oktoberfest, The Fair, Farm Fest, Vert Fourchette were always booked, and Blueberry Hill had music nights. For a town of 2,000 people, it was a happening place; gorgeous buildings, pastoral nature, events and businesses supported by the community, it made us want to be a part of it.

Our town has deep roots, we honour the past and hold that tight as well as have a need/want to be a part of new things (which is hard to find these days). It’s those kinds of things that bring people to town on weekends/make them want to be here and people coming to town on weekends is what keeps communities like ours alive and thriving.

We are still rebounding from the pandemic and on the cusp of a large development so this feels like good timing. I hope this process makes us (but especially council, since they initiated this) consider the direction we want to go in. How we want things to look and function. We have held to our ideals, and we need to keep those in focus as we grow with the long vision in sight, not short-term gains which we always seem to be fighting. Whether it’s clearing land for a marginal increase in yield, or a cement plant.

We need to think about what makes us unique, because those things do not. Why do people want to visit this area? What are the things they say when they do? And most importantly, what are we leaving for the next generation?

Rebranding the township will not only represent a visual change to this area, but hopefully we will feel reinvigorated as well. Sometimes it takes a fresh viewpoint to instill local pride. Pride in our identity and town and wanting to be involved is what often encourages more people to come and be involved. Design can be a catalyst for change, and whether we agree or disagree with the oak leaf/tree, we need to remove politics from the process. The only way this exercise will be a true waste of money is if we take all of this information, new logo, etc… and continue to operate in the same way.

To quote the Grateful Dead, “once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right”.

RUSSELL GIBBS
VANKLEEK HILL