One of the things that makes us human is our use of symbols to represent a wide range of our life's experiences.
A symbol can represent anything from an entire nation, a province, an institution, an organization or a community.Flags have been used for centuries to represent many different things, but one thing that they hold in common is a strong sense of emotion.This is particularly true when a flag represents a community of people as it is something that everyone can connect to as it represents a common shared connection.Thanks to the initiative taken by former East York mayor Alan Redway (1977-1982) the former borough has had its own distinct flag since the late 1970s.At that time, of all of the municipalities that made up Metro Toronto, East York was the only one without a distinct flag. Redway approached the borough council with a proposal to have the flag designed through a competition that was open to adults and school children. A cash prize was also included, but rather than using tax dollars to pay for it, local business were asked to sponsor the contest.The main sponsors were Peak Freans, Bate Chemical, Canada Wire and Cable, Coca Cola, Dominion Regalia and Steel Enterprises. According to Redway, one company did contribute, but felt the project was a rather silly one to be undertaking. Redway sent the company's cheque back, telling them that it was indeed a worthwhile undertaking as the flag represented a very special municipality with a strong community spirit.The local school children were very enthusiastic about the project, with many entries being class projects.This allowed many students to learn more about their community's history and unique qualities, all of which became inspiration for different designs.Ironically, the winning design came from Raymond Taylor, who was a resident of Scarborough, though he had learned about it though East York resident Blain Till, a friend of his.The prize given for the winning design was $1,000, with $100 going to the best student design.One of the reasons Taylor's design was chosen was that many people felt the prominent Y in the EY design represented the two branches of the Don River, which connect in East York.The very first flag made from the winning design was sewn by Diana (Didy) Erb, the wife of Rev. Cannon John Erb, the Rector of St. Luke's Anglican Church on Coxwell Avenue.Since amalgamation, East York's flag has all but disappeared but the East York Historical Society is working to keep that from happening.The society is now offering small desk flags with the East York design for $10 and is taking orders for a large 36" x 72" flag for $95. To either purchase or place an order, send payment to The East York Historical Society, 10 McKayfield Road, East York, ON M4J 4P7.Also check out their meetings that are held the last Tuesday, January, March, May, September and November at the S. Walter Stewart Library.