Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"WESTMINISTER VILLAGE BRZ" PIN & CARD

Date Range From

1990

Date Range To

1997

Materials

BRASS, PAINT, PAPER

No. Pieces

3

Height

13.6

Length

11.5

Width

1.0

Description

1) RECTANGULAR PAPER CARD WITH BLUE WRITING. FRONT HAS BORDER WITH THREE BLUE STRIPES TEXT IN CENTER THAT SAYS, “WELCOME TO THE WESTMINISTER VILLAGE BRZ, THE PLACE TO BE IN LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, ‘WHERE FRIENDLINESS AND SERVICE GO HAND IN HAND.” REVERSE OF CARD SAYS, “WESTMINISTER VILLAGE IS A DYNAMIC BUSINESS REVITALIZATION ZONE WHERE THE BUSINESSES STRIVE TO GIVE GOOD SERVICE IN A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE. WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT THIS WESTMINISTER VILLAGE PIN TO YOU AND HOPE THAT YOU WILL WEAR IT WITH PRIDE. COME VISIT US AT ANYTIME BETWEEN THE SIGNS ON THIRTEENTH STREET NORTH IN THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE.” 2) CIRCULAR BRASS PIN WITH YELLOW, BLUE, GREEN AND WHITE PAINT. TEXT AROUND EDGE AND CENTER READS, “WESTMINISTER VILLAGE BRZ LETHBRIDGE, WHERE FRIENDLINESS & SERVICE GO HAND IN HAND.” MOTIF OF BUILDINGS AND TREES. 3) BRASS BUTTERFLY CLUTCH FASTENER.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

CLOTHING-ACCESSORY

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

ACCORDING TO DONOR JEAN JOHNSTONE IN JUNE 2012, “I WAS CITY CLERK, THE WESTMINSTER BRZ AND THE DOWNTOWN BRZ BOTH FORMED. AND IT WAS THROUGH THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT ACT THAT THEY ARE FORMED AND DISBANDED. BUT WESTMINSTER, WHICH IS THE NORTH SIDE, THEY DIDN’T CARE FOR THE LEVY THAT WAS PLACED ON THEM EVERY YEAR BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T MAKE ENOUGH, I THINK, THEIR TURNOVER OF RETAIL WASN’T AS GOOD AS WHAT THEY COULD AFFORD TO PAY THIS EXTRA LEVY ON TOP OF THEIR TAXES, SO THEY DISBANDED WHILE I WAS STILL THERE, WHICH TOOK SIGNATURES FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT BUSINESSES. AND SO THIS PIN IS FROM THEIR DAYS, AND I CAN’T TELL YOU THE EXACT DAYS BUT I FINISHED BEING CITY CLERK IN 1997 AND SO IT’S QUITE A WHILE AGO. AND THEY WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME THIS PIN, AS CITY CLERK. IT WAS THE BUSINESSES THEMSELVES [THAT ORGANIZED THE BRZ], JUST AS THE DOWNTOWN LETHBRIDGE EXISTS TODAY. IT’S THE BRZ FOR THE DOWNTOWN PARAMETERS. THEY PAY THEIR BUSINESS TAX AND THEY PAY THEIR PROPERTY TAX, AND THEY PAY A LEVY, AND THEY DECIDED THAT THAT’S WHAT THEY WANTED IN ORDER TO REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN. IT DIDN’T WORK SO WELL ON THE NORTH SIDE. THERE WERE MANY REASONS INCLUDING THE COST OF THE LEVY, I’M SURE, BUT THEY HAD A LOT OF DISSENTERS AND THEY DISBANDED, BUT THE DOWNTOWN BRZ IS STILL GOING STRONG, AND BECAUSE OF THEM, I THINK IT’S CHANGED IN THE DOWNTOWN, PLUS WE’RE FOCUSING ON BUILT HERITAGE IN THE DOWNTOWN AND PUTTING PLAQUES AND ALL THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, AND SO THEY CARRY ON.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT HER ROLE WITH THE BRZ, JOHNSTONE RESPONDED BY SAYING, “WELL, THROUGH THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT ACT, IT WAS LAID OUT HOW THEY SHOULD FORM. THEY HAD TO GET SO MANY SIGNATURES FROM BUSINESSES AND THEY HAD TO BE QUALIFIED, AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS, AND THEN THEY HAD TO FORM A BOARD, WITH A CHAIRMAN AND ETC. AND HIRE A - I CAN’T REMEMBER IF THEY HIRED A CEO OR NOT, BUT I KNOW TED STILSON IS THE ONE FOR THE DOWNTOWN RIGHT NOW. AND THROUGH THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT ACT IT WAS PASSED, AND SO A BYLAW, WITH THIS PETITION, WAS PASSED BY CITY COUNCIL SO THEY WERE FORMED AND LEGAL. WHEN THEY WANTED TO BECOME NOTHING, THEY HAD TO DO IT IN REVERSE, AND IT WASN’T REALLY CLEAR IN THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT ACT AT THAT TIME. BUT WE DID IT BY PETITION AGAIN, AND IT WENT TO COUNCIL AND THEY RESCINDED THEIR BYLAW. THE MUNICIPALITY THEN COLLECTS THEIR LEVY AND TAXES THEM DIFFERENTLY. IF THEY’RE ORGANIZED AS A BRZ THEY’RE STILL TAXED THE SAME, BUT THEY HAVE THIS EXTRA TAX ON THEM THAT’S COLLECTED FOR THE OPERATION OF THE BRZ. SO IT HAD TO BE TIED IN WITH THE MUNICIPALITY. SO THEY’RE KIND OF LIKE ‘ARM’S LENGTH’ FROM THE MUNICIPALITY BUT IT WAS GOVERNED – WHETHER THE NEW MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT ACT COVERS IT, I DON’T KNOW, BECAUSE THINGS CHANGED.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT HOW THE MONEY FROM THE TAX LEVY WAS USED DURING HER TIME, JOHNSTONE SAID, “WELL, I REMEMBER THEY PUT UP SIGNS. IF YOU REMEMBER GOING UNDER THE 13TH STREET UNDERPASS, YOU’D COME UP A LITTLE BIT AND THERE’D BE A SIGN. IT JUST RECENTLY GOT KNOCKED DOWN, AND IT SAID “WESTMINSTER BRZ” ON IT, OR “WESTMINSTER . . . “, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, “BUSINESS REVITALIZATION ZONE”, AND THEY WOULD PUT IN TREES, AND BEAUTIFY THE SIDEWALKS, AS THEY HAVE DOWNTOWN. THEY PLANTED TREES AND THEY CLEAN UP STREETS WITH THE MONEY, THEY’RE USED AS A LOBBY GROUP FOR DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THEY NEED. THEY CAN APPLY FOR GRANTS. ALL OF THOSE THINGS. MAIN STREET IN THE DOWNTOWN IS NOW RUN THROUGH THE BRZ OFFICE; IT SORT OF JOINED UP WITH THE BRZ OFFICE. SO FUNDING COMES FROM THEM TO THE OWNERS. WELL, ONE OF [THE CO-FOUNDERS] WAS THE FELLOW WHO OWNS THE CENTRE VILLAGE MALL, THE ONE ON THE NORTH SIDE, CROOKS, I THINK IS HIS NAME? HE WAS IN ON IT, AND A FEW OTHERS THAT WERE MORE SUCCESSFUL ON THE NORTH SIDE. BUT THE ONES THAT AREN’T AS SUCCESSFUL OR BIG FOUND THAT IT WAS JUST TOO MUCH AND THEY WEREN’T GETTING ENOUGH BANG FOR THEIR BUCK, REALLY. AND SO THAT’S WHY THEY CHANGED, AND PEOPLE SAY TO ME, “WELL, WHY DON’T YOU PUT PLAQUES ON BUILDINGS ON THE NORTH SIDE?” IT’S NOT THAT WE DON’T WANT TO. IT’S JUST THAT THE DOWNTOWN IS GIVING US MONEY TO DO THAT AND SO WE PUT THE LION’S SHARE OF EVERYTHING IN THE DOWNTOWN, AND THERE AREN’T ANY PLAQUES ON THE NORTH SIDE. AND IF THERE WAS A BRZ, WE PROBABLY WOULD, BUT THERE’S NOBODY TO SPEAK FOR THEM ANYMORE. [THOSE DISSENTING BUSINESSES, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE LOBBIED AND GONE TO THE CITY AND SAID, ‘YOU KNOW WHAT, WE DON’T WANT THIS ANYMORE’] “AND HELP US TO GET RID OF IT”, AND SO WE DID. IT’S A SHAME BECAUSE 13TH STREET NORTH IS A UNIQUE LITTLE AREA OF BUSINESSES AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD THING TO CARRY ON, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD THING FOR THEM, BUT HINDSIGHT . . . SO IT DIDN’T HAPPEN. SO THAT’S THIS LITTLE PIN.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING DONOR INTERVIEW, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20120018007

Acquisition Date

2012-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail