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Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada)

Greater Vancouver Regional District

image by Jens Pattke, 15 October 2006

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Description of the flag

The official City of Vancouver Flag was approved by Vancouver City Council on May 17, 1983, and officially unveiled on May 31, 1983. The basic elements of the design include a bottom chevron of green to represent the land on which the City is built and the forests from which a good deal of its property has arisen. The alternating waving bars of blue and white symbolize the sea, which is the other principal foundation of the City's growth.
Chris Pinette, 3 February 1997

The flag is based on elements of the 31 March, 1969 grant of Arms. The "pile" (V-shape on the shield) is turned into a hoist triangle (or more correctly, a pentagon), and on it is placed a yellow shield with the heraldic badge consisting of an axe and an oar, crossed and going through a Mural Crown. The Mural Crown comes from the crest, the axe and oar come from the supporters (a fisherman and a lumberjack).

The flag was designed by the Director of the Vancouver Museum, Robert Watt, who later became Chief Herald of Canada.

The shade of blue seems to vary by manufacturer. I saw several City of Vancouver flags recently, and it appears that the newer ones have a darker blue, (as above), while I have seen others with a medium-light shade (including the desk-sized flag on my desk). This variation goes hand-in-hand with the variations of shade of British Columbia flags.
Dean McGee, 14 October 2006