South Bruce Seeks Community Input on New Brand

SOUTH BRUCE, ON – The Municipality of South Bruce is asking the community for input on the rebranding of Formosa, Mildmay, Teeswater, and South Bruce as a whole. From January 25 to February 29, 2024 residents of South Bruce will have the opportunity to vote for the logos and taglines that best suits their village and the municipality.

Current branding for South Bruce is over a decade old, with the current logo being used since the Municipality’s amalgamation in 1999. Community members can review the branding work completed to date and vote on the new brand options at https://southbruceswitchboard.ca, or by visiting the municipal office at 21 Gordon St. E, Teeswater.

Why a South Bruce rebrand is necessary

Implementing a fresh new brand that best represents the community for today and for the future, will align the municipality with its Corporate Strategic and Economic Development Plans that were completed in 2021 and give a competitive edge for growth opportunities.

Most grant opportunities require communities to have a Community Improvement Plan Project Areas (CIPA) designation, which must feature a community brand and a façade guidelines toolkit in order to be implemented. When the current brand toolkits were created, Formosa did not meet the business/industry and infrastructure requirements to be considered a town and was excluded from branding and the CIPA. This left Formosa ineligible for grant opportunities.

Formosa now meets the infrastructure requirements to be eligible for a brand toolkit. The Municipality is rebranding to include Formosa so there is equal grant opportunities for South Bruce businesses and to foster community cohesiveness.

Branding work completed to date

The Municipality hosted three open house sessions in the Fall of 2023 as well as an online feedback form, to gather community input on designing a potential new logo for South Bruce as well as each of the communities within. Formosa does not currently have a logo. Input was collected looking for common themes and characteristics that best describe our municipality in order to create various concepts that are reflective of South Bruce today and in the future.

As a result of the sessions and online voting, the community decided to replace existing brands in all three villages and for the Municipality at large.

Costs related to the community rebranding is provided through the Multi-Year Funding Agreement between the Municipality and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization.

-30-

For more information:

Rhonda Niesen,
Economic Development Officer
Municipality of South Bruce
rniesen@southbruce.ca
519-392-6623 ext. 241