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Sudbury, Ontario (Canada)

Greater Sudbury

1:2 image by Eugene Ipavec
Source: Canadian City Flags, Raven 18

Sudbury
Current Flag
Coat of Arms
Logo flag
Police Service flag

See also:

Greater Sudbury

The City of Greater Sudbury (French, Grand Sudbury), commonly known as Sudbury (160,274 inhabitants in 2009; 32,006 ha, therefore the largest city in Ontario by land area), was formed on 1 January 2001 as the merger of the former Regional Municipality of Sudbury (including the Towns of Sudbury, Capreol, Nickel Centre, Onaping Falls and Rayside-Balfour, and the City of Valley East) and of the previously unincorporated townships of Dill, Cleland, Fraleck, Parkin, Aylmer, Mackelcan, Rathbun and Scadding.
Ivan Sache, 13 August 2012

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 Greater Sudbury (Grand Sudbury in French) is divided horizontally, green over golden yellow. The two sections are separated by a complex division line that forms the outlines of stylized evergreen trees—eleven in golden yellow point upward and the spaces between them in green make the same shape pointing downward. The trees are about 2/11 the height of the flag. In the upper hoist is a five-pointed star in golden yellow, about two-ninths the height of the flag.
Doreen Braverman, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Symbolism

Green and gold are similar to the city’s corporate colours. The colour gold, representing the precious metal, is associated with generosity, reason, and immortality. Like gold, the spirit of community does not deteriorate. Gold also represents the mineral riches of the Greater Sudbury area. The trees represent the white pine forests that once covered Northern Ontario and the re-greening efforts of the past quarter-century; the division line indicates the old-growth forests of the region and how much of it has been reforested in recent years. Lumbering was one of the original industries of Sudbury. The star symbolizes the North Star, a traditional guide to navigation, just as Greater Sudbury, “The Hub of the North”, is the leading city of northeastern Ontario. Its five points represent the characteristics of a good citizen: fortitude, loyalty, righteousness, prudence, and broad-mindedness. The flag is a banner of the arms of the City of Greater Sudbury.
Doreen Braverman, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Selection

The city council approved the flag after applying to the Canadian Heraldic Authority for a coat of arms and a flag, which were granted 15 December 2003.
Doreen Braverman, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Designer

Bruce Patterson, Saguenay Herald, Canadian Heraldic Authority.
Doreen Braverman, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

More about the flag

From Greater Sudbury web site

The official flag for the City of Greater Sudbury was unveiled at City Council this evening (13 May 2004) during a special dedication ceremony. The flag, designed by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, was donated to the City by the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE) Elizabeth Fry Chapter, Sudbury Branch.
Branch President Laurel Scott and members Anadel Hastie and Judy Smith presented the flag to Greater Sudbury Mayor David Courtemanche. "On behalf of Council and the citizens of Greater Sudbury, I would like to thank the IODE Elizabeth Fry Chapter, Sudbury Branch for their generous contribution to our City," said Mayor Courtemanche. Formed in 1932, the Elizabeth Fry Chapter, Sudbury Branch consists of women who work together for the public good of their community, founded on service, education and citizenship.
The Canadian Heraldic Authority is responsible for the creation of new coats of arms, flags and badges for Canadian citizens and corporate bodies. The flag, which complements the City Crest, is for use at ceremonial occasions and will be placed in Council Chamber.
The primary colours of the flag are green and gold, similar to the City's corporate colors. According to the Heraldic Authority, green symbolizes hope, joy and loyalty. The origin of the word "green" lies in the ancient word "ghro" which means "grow and prosper". Green also appropriately recognizes that Greater Sudbury has positioned itself on the world stage as a leader in regreening.
The colour gold is associated with generosity, reason and immortality. It is also one of the most precious metals in the history of mankind, a precious metal that is able to stand the test of time. Pure gold is little affected by exposure to the elements and does not deteriorate. Like gold, the spirit of community does not deteriorate but is able to stand the test of time. The use of "gold" is also representative of the mineral rich nature of Greater Sudbury.
The flag features the shield elements of the City Crest - a traditional five point golden star and a series of stylized coniferous trees. The north star is a traditional guide for navigation. The north star is also symbolic of Greater Sudbury as the leading City of northeastern Ontario, the hub of the north. According to the Heraldic Authority, a five point star can also represent the characteristics of a good citizen, which are fortitude, loyalty, righteousness, prudence, and broad-mindedness.
The coniferous trees represent the original old growth white pine forests that once covered this area of Northern Ontario. The lumber industry is one of the original industries of Greater Sudbury. The trees also represent the regreening efforts of the past quarter century, the effect of which will be most evident in this century. The white pine serve to honour those who participated in the regreening of Greater Sudbury.

Phil Nelson, 28 November 2004

The flag was donated to the city by the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE), Elizabeth Fry Chapter. Formed in 1932, its Sudbury Branch consists of women who work together for the public good of their community, founded on service, education, and citizenship.
Doreen Braverman, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Coat of Arms

The symbols of Greater Sudbury were granted by Letters Patent issued on 15 December 2003 and registered in the Public Registry of Flags, Arms and Badges, Vol. IV, p. 336, as announced on 12 March 2005 in the Canada Gazette, Vol. 139, p. 687.

Blazon
Arms: Per fess sapiné vert and or, in dexter chief a mullet or;
Crest: A mural crown Vert set with pine cones or;
Supporters: Two moose or, that to the dexter gorged with a coronet erablé, that to the sinister gorged with a coronet fleurdelisé vert, both standing on a rocky mount set with blueberry plants proper;
Motto: Aedificemus;
Flag: A banner of the arms

The mural crown is a traditional symbol of municipal authority, indicating the City's responsibility to protect its citizens. The pine cones make another reference to the natural heritage of the area, and they also allude to Sudbury's original name, Sainte-Anne-des-Pins.
Supporters
The moose are animals symbolic of Northern Ontario. The rocky compartment, itself indicative of the strong and enduring foundations on which the community has been built, indicates the importance of mining in the area, and the blueberries are a distinctive feature of local vegetation. The coronets indicate the diverse Canadian and francophone heritage of the City.
Motto
A Latin word meaning "Let us build". It was inspired by a passage in Nehemiah 2 :18, emphasizing that building a community is the collective work of all citizens.

Original concept of Bruce Patterson, Saguenay Herald, assisted by the Heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority; Painter: Linda Nicholson; Calligrapher: Nancy Ellis.
http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=340
Ivan Sache, 13 August 2012

Logo flag

image by Masao Okazaki, 7 February 2022

Design of the flag now used as the city flag, using the image from http://www.northernlife.ca/news/sports/2010/03/chill-110310.aspx.

In official events, Greater Sudbury also uses a green flag with the city's logo in white and seven yellow four- pointed stars (seemingly not shown on the logo), as seen on photos published in "Sudbury Northern Life".
http://www.northernlife.ca/news/localNews/2012/07/19-matichuk-horwath-sudbury.aspx - 18 July 2012
http://www.northernlife.ca/uploadedImages/news/localNews/2012/01(7)/180712_matichuk_horwath.jpg
http://www.northernlife.ca/news/sports/2010/03/chill-110310.aspx - 11 May 2010
http://www.northernlife.ca/uploadedImages/news/sports/2010/03/chill400.JPG

Ivan Sache, 13 August 2012

Police Service flag

image by Randy Young, 17 March 2015

This flag is difficult to make out. It appears to be the service badge in silver on a white field, with red, gray and blue vertical stripes at the hoist and at the fly: http://www.carolinephotography.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Awars-Pic.jpg
http://www.specialolympicsontario.com/img/Article%20Contents/Branch.jpg
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zMjs7Raa4s8/0.jpg
http://www.northernlife.ca/uploadedImages/news/policeandCourt/2010/06/DSC_2220.JPG

Badge: http://www.kicx917.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Policecrest1-251x300.gif
Dave Fowler, 16 March 2015