Assiginack residents slam new logo for no consultation and ignoring Chief Assiginack, history, shipping & mills. Mayor Reid defends it as honouring shared heritage & nature per strategic plan (no extra cost). Critics call it generic cultural erasure.
MANITOWANING—Many residents of Assiginack township and neighbouring communities have voiced their displeasure with a new logo for the municipality with one of the main concerns being that there should have been community consultation and input provided on the new logo.
Queries from the community were made as to why the need for a new logo and unease that it does not effectively represent the history of the township, including shipping, mills and its relationship with First Nations and Chief Jean-Baptiste Assiginack. Chief Assiginack was an Odawa leader in the early 19th century who, in 1836, took part in the foundation of the non-Indigenous community of Manitowaning and for whom the township is named.
Christianna Jones, a former Assiginack councillor and a Wiikwemkoong band member, wrote on social media, “What’s the significance of/what does the symbol mean and how does it relate to the community? Where was the consultation on this? I think when rebranding a community you would want community input.”
Subscribe now and have access to all our stories, enjoy exclusive content and stay up to date with constant updates.