Recipients of Abbotsford’s highest honour will soon be receiving special pins recognizing their accomplishments.
And those pins aren’t expected to be cheap tokens.
On Monday, council endorsed the design and production of the pins, and put a $25,000 cap on spending for the program.
The bulk of the money is expected to be spent on producing about 100 pins, which will be both for future recipients as well as for the approximately 70 people who have previously received the Order of Abbotsford.
Staff expect the cost for each pin – which is to be “designed as a piece of jewelry,” and can be worn as a pendant or a pin – to be between $100 and $200. That would put the cost of production of 100 pins at between $10,000 and $20,000. Another $2,805 will go to designer Janet Holm, who is tasked with crafting a design for a pin that is a “tasteful size” and will be “instantly recognizable for its high quality.”
A committee had been formed in 2016 to review how the city recognizes outstanding citizens.
“We really wanted to step up our game a little bit and find better ways of recognizing [outstanding citizens],” said Coun. Patricia Ross, who sat on the committee. The pins – which were first suggested by Coun. Sandy Blue – were conceived of as a way of enabling other residents to recognize and salute those who have received the Order of Abbotsford.
Recipients currently receive a box with a tartan neck tie or scarf, a box containing a plaque, and a gift basket with local merchandise.
“Currently what we give them is something that stays at home,” Ross said. “This can be something they can wear in the community so other people in the community recognize that this is someone who has sacrificed a lot for us.”
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tolsen@abbynews.com
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