By James Bow

I realize this will not go anywhere, but I need to say it: it's time for Ontario to have its own flag.

Because, in reality, Ontario doesn't. We didn't have an official flag until 1965, during which we typically flew the British Union Jack. In many ways, since that date, we still haven't flown our own flag because the flag we picked to fly was the Canadian Red Ensign, modified to include the Ontario Coat of Arms on the right half. This was done by premier John Robarts, who preferred the Red Ensign to Canada's brand new Maple Leaf flag, and adopted it for Ontario in order to preserve it.

And isn't it a little presumptuous (and unfortunately rather like Ontario) to appropriate a symbol belonging to all Canadians as their own?

Vexilologists do not rate Ontario's flag highly (see the video to the right). It fails on a number of fronts, of which many velilologists list five. Here's their criteria:

1. Keep it Simple

Look at Ontario's current flag. Just look at it! Flags should be so easy to draw, our schoolchildren could do it. The Union Jack is already a hefty challenge, as is our maple leaf. Then, we add a sea of red and a coat-of-arms with not one stylized maple leaf but three realistic ones? What sick sadist came up with that idea? Somebody who hated schoolkids, clearly.

2. Use Meaningful Symbolism

Now, here the current Ontario flag is all about symbolism, but primarily one piece of symbolism, and is that symbolism truly relevant in this day and age? Has this symbolism aged well? One of Ontario's mottos may be "Loyal she began, loyal she remains" in reference to our first major settler group being United Empire Loyalists fleeing American persecution following the War of Independence, but that's not what Ontario is all about today. Today, we are a multicultural and diverse society, with distinctive regions within the province itself. How relevant is the British flag to the communities of the North? How relevant is it to the generations of immigrant families from other countries who have built up for literal centuries throughout the Greater Toronto Area? How relevant is it to our First Nations peoples?

The thing is, Ontario is actually pretty good with symbols -- which,at their root, rely on simplicity to convey a greater idea. The trillium, Ontario's official flower, has been used to great effect in promoting a united Ontario identity. It's all over our government buildings and many of our transit vehicles. Ontario's official colours are green and gold, which is why our GO trains are green. I prefer the simplified styling of the trillium that arose in the 1960s, during an age of remarkable design ethic that brought us GO Transit's iconic logo. The Franco-Ontarian flag gets this right, conveying their history and identity with two symbols and two colours, which is why I based my proposed flag heavily on their design.

Ontario's trillium is nowhere to be found on Ontario's current flag, and its colours of green and gold are relegated to an insert on the right half of the flag. We can do better than that.

3. Use 2 to 3 basic colours

I'm counting at least four, here, two of which aren't official Ontario colours.

4. No lettering or seals

(Looks at Ontario's coat-of-arms on the right half of the Red Ensign. Clears throat meaningfullly).

5. Be Distinctive or be Related

If our flag is related to anything, it's Britain, and that has the advantage of being a key part of our history, but little else. It's relation to Canada amounts to a fit of pique by John Robarts protesting our highly distinctive and effective Canadian Maple Leaf. And, is our flag distinctive? Have a look at the flag of Manitoba. If you can't easily figure out whether you're in Winnipeg or in Toronto by looking at the provincial flags they are flying, what the heck are we flying?

The flag I propose above is based off the proportions of our current Canadian flag. It uses the major symbol of Ontario, and one of two Ontario's official colours (why not the other one? Well, gold is used less often, and when applied to my proposed flag, this is the result). Best of all, it's simple. It requires the use of one crayon against a blank white page, and it's easily identifiable from a distance. While I know this is unlikely to happen, I strongly feel that Ontario's flag must change, and I strongly suggest that the flag above is what we change it to.

I know that a lot of people will have a knee-jerk reaction against the prospect of change. Our Red Ensign has been flying for 71 years, now, and changing things may be a wrench. But our flag has changed before. If it can change in reaction to the creation of the Canadian Maple Leaf, it can be changed into something that better reflects what Ontario is. It can change to provide a flag that's easier to identify, easier to draw, and easier to appreciate.