^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Oshawa, Ontario (Canada)

Durham Regional Municipality

1:2 image by Eugene Ipavec
Source: Canadian City Flags, Raven 18

Oshawa
Current Flag

See also:

Oshawa

Oshawa is a city in Ontario, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in southern Ontario, approximately 60 km east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It is the largest municipality in the Regional Municipality of Durham.

Current Flag

Text and image(s) from Canadian City Flags, Raven 18 (2011), courtesy of the North American Vexillological Association, which retains copyright. Image(s) by permission of Eugene Ipavec.

Design

The flag of the City of Oshawa has a royal blue field with a simplified version of the city’s arms in the centre encircled by two rings of 15 stylized rose petals, the inner ring yellow and the outer ring white, nearly the full height of the flag. The simple shield in the arms has a horizontal top and simply-curved sides forming a “U” shape. It is divided into three horizontal panels. The upper panel is golden yellow with three gear wheels, the central one larger than the others, all in royal blue with red teeth. The central panel is red with three highly-stylized objects, from left to right a sailing ship, a winged wheel, and a flying bird, all in yellow. The lower panel is yellow with a branch of three maple leaves in green. Above the shield is a beaver (Castor canadensis), facing left, in white on a yellow and green base. Below is a white ribbon in three parts, wrapping halfway up each side (it is sometimes inscribed LABOUR AND PROSPER in black serifed letters, one word on each part).
Doreen Braverman, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Paul J. Radoslovich, Corporate Communications and Marketing Officer of the City of Oshawa, replied to my query and provided us with a proof sheet used for the actual production of flags. It tells us that the flag is 1:2 (72"x36"), and that for textiles the green, blue and yellow colours are specified as PMS 349, 2758, resp. 130. The red is Canadian Red, and the white is indeed white. Also - something I've seen neglected in other cases - it explicitly states that any sleeve is not included in the overall dimensions.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 23 November 2012

Symbolism

White, blue, and gold are the city’s official colours. The rose is the official flower of the city, adopted 9 March 1953. The ship symbolizes the Oshawa Harbour on Lake Ontario, the winged wheel represents the land transportation system, and the bird is for the Oshawa Airport. The three gears indicate cooperation. The three maple leaves symbolize both Ontario and Canada, and the beaver, the national animal, represents Canada.
Doreen Braverman, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Selection

At the 4 September 1973 Oshawa council meeting, a resolution was adopted for a flag design contest for the city’s golden anniversary in 1974. The contest was open to students in all public, separate, and secondary schools in the city of Oshawa. Durham College also assisted with the sponsorship of the contest. The arms had been designed by Joan M. Brook of Pickering, Ontario, and adopted by the city council 5 May 1952. The beaver was added 19 June 1967.
Doreen Braverman, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Designer

Julia Lakas, a student at E. A. Lovell Public School.
Doreen Braverman, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011