SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The territorial government insists waste has been and will continue to be kept at a minimum as it moves toward using a new logo.

This easily recognizable territorial government logo is quietly being phased out because it does not comply with new language regulations - namely that it does not use French. - image courtesy of the GNWT

The GNWT has quietly phased in a fresh logo, keeping the familiar white polar bear on a blue background, but the words 'Northwest Territories' have been dropped.

According to Catherine Boyd, strategic policy and planning analyst with the GNWT's Department of the Executive, the old logo did not meet legislated language requirements - namely it was not in French as well as English.

"It did not ... promote a unified, single GNWT identity," Boyd stated in an e-mail.

She added later by phone it is important that people quickly and easily recognize the logo so they are completely clear that they are dealing with GNWT material. Boyd added that by removing the English words altogether the GNWT not only complies with the language legislation, it doesn't alienate any French speaking people and is respectful of NWT indigenous people by not ignoring their nine official languages.

Boyd said the concerns that people have about reams of GNWT paper with letterheads and thousands of envelopes going to waste are unfounded. The government does have a plan for all material with out-of-date logos, she said.

"A single letterhead will now be used across government and any old stock at the warehouse was re-purposed into notepads. By law, departments are required to update all materials with new French language requirements and so (this is happening) at the same time for cost efficiency."

By the end of next year, the new logo will be the only one used, Boyd said, after a phased-in approach. Boyd said that any existing letterhead leftovers are having the logo cut off and are being make into notepads.

She added that in the months prior to the new logo launch, the GNWT stopped producing new stationary, business cards or promotional material.

"Following implementation, departments were given several months to use up existing stock. On April 1, we moved to one standard letterhead for all GNWT correspondence," Boyd stated. "Digital correspondence is becoming standard practice. Digital letterhead can be used at no cost."

Boyd also pointed out the new logo was designed and developed as cost-efficiently as possible.

"The program was created internally by two GNWT employees," she stated. "This type of work is typically out-sourced at significant costs. Not only did we save money, we used the passion, innovation and skills of our own employees to develop a product that we can all be proud of. By carefully planning the implementation of the new program and by using in-house expertise, costs have been kept to a minimum. All fees and associated costs have been managed through existing budgets."

Boyd said it is impossible to put a pricetag on how much it has cost to change the logo because the majority of the work involved was done internally.

However, in 2012, Yellowknife's Tait Communications and Consulting was contracted to lead a review of the GNWT's corporate identity. Tait held a consultations with ministers, MLAs, deputy ministers, communications practitioners, government service officers and external stakeholders. The contract was worth $27,263.