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

Kamloops, British Columbia (Canada)

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

Kamloops
Current Flag
Kamloops logo flag

See also:

Kamloops

About the city:
"Kamloops is a city in south central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River and near Kamloops Lake. It is the largest community in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the location of the regional district's offices. The surrounding region is more commonly referred to as the Thompson Country. It is ranked 37th on the list of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada and represents the 4th largest census agglomeration nationwide, with 92,882 residents in 2006. The City has 86,376 inhabitants." - from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamloops

Official website: http://www.kamloops.ca/index.shtml
Valentin Poposki, 29 January 2010

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 Kamloops is a modified Canadian pale design, three vertical stripes of red-white-red in proportions of 1:3:1. The coat of arms is in the centre, three-fourths the height of the flag. Above it arches CITY OF KAMLOOPS in black sans-serif letters. The simple shield has a horizontal top and simply-curved sides forming a pointed “U” shape, with black edges and divisions. Its upper third is white bearing a red cross; in each quarter is a beaver (Castor canadensis) in natural colours facing to the left. Its lower two-thirds is white with ermine spots in black distributed throughout. A wavy blue “Y” figure runs from the base to the top corners. On each of the three branches of the “Y” is a white fish with black details, head pointed upward. Between the upper branches is a bull’s face, in natural colours. Above the shield is a knight’s helmet in silver with a white five-towered mural crown atop it. On top of the crown is an eight-spoked wheel in blue with white wings emerging from its hubs in front and back. Alongside the helmet and shield is heraldic mantling in white and red. Beneath the shield is a curved white ribbon inscribed SALUS · ET · OPES (Health and Wealth), in black serif letters.
Jim Croft, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Symbolism

Ermine, a heraldic fur, represents the commerce between the European fur traders and the First Peoples in the early days of the area. The “Y” shape symbolizes confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers, which flows as one river to the sea at Kamloops, whose name means “the meeting of the rivers” in the native Shuswap language. The fish are mountain trout (perhaps Salvelinus fontinalis), swimming upstream. The bull’s head recalls the one-time role of Kamloops as the centre of the British Columbia cattle industry. The red cross and beavers derive from the arms of the Hudson’s Bay Company, as Fort Kamloops was founded in 1812 as an HBC trading post (the red cross is the cross of St. George, representing England, and the beavers signify the fur trade). The mural crown denotes civic authority. The wheel represents Kamloops as an important junction for the railways, airways, and highways; its wings represent progress.
Jim Croft, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Selection

Unknown. Flag adopted 1 October 1985.
Jim Croft, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Designer

Mayor Jim Walsh designed the flag, based on the city’s arms.
Jim Croft, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Blazon of Coat of Arms

Arms
Ermine on a pairle wavy Azure three salmon in chief a bull's head caboshed proper a chief Argent a cross of St. George between four beavers couchant proper;

Crest
On a mural crown Argent masoned Sable a wheel Azure winged Argent;

Motto SALUS ET OPES. This Latin phrase means "Health and wealth".

Source:
Canadian Heraldic Authority
Valentin Poposki, 29 January 2010

Historical Flag Information

In 1910 the council had called for the submission of designs conveying in heraldic language the history of Kamloops, and offering a financial reward to the successful competitor. One of three designs submitted by Mr. W. Miller Higgs of Walhacin was selected by a committee consisting of the Reverend Akehurst, F.J. Fulton, and Judge Swanson. In 1911, following a few minor modifications by Canon Beanlands, an English heraldic expert, the coat of arms was adopted by the city council. The arms were granted by the English King of Arms on 20 February 1981.
Jim Croft, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Kamloops logo flag

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

The flag is blue, with the city’s multi-coloured logo centred over Canada’s Tournament Capital in white sans-serif letters.
Jim Croft, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

The city called this their "sport flag". It flies at the Tournament Capital Centre, and, no doubt at other facilities. The heraldic flag is still used at city hall (as of April 2011).
Dean McGee, 10 July 2012