Council approves new chain of office
Town councillors in Annapolis Royal have given the green light to spend up to $3,400 to replace its chain of office.
Chains of office date back to the 14th century and many Canadian municipalities have continued the tradition.
The mayor of Annapolis Royal wears the chain of office at formal events. Councillors requested a staff report on replacing the current chain, which is more than 100 years old, earlier this year.
The chain of office, which is attached to a velvet collar, is comprised of 16 maple leafs with bars underneath of them containing the mayors’ names since incorporation. There are no remaining bars for the next mayor’s name to be engraved on and Coun. Holly Sanford noted the current one was also getting “very delicate.”
Councillors unanimously voted to spend up to $3,400 on a new chain of office during the April 17 council meeting.
“I am in favour of a chain of office,” Coun. Paula Hafting said at the April 3 committee of the whole meeting. “We’re the oldest town (in Canada), we have a lot of history (and) it’s a traditional thing to wear.”
Staff was able to find a company in Kingston, Ont., that provided a quote of $2,849 plus shipping and tax to create the new chain of office. An example of what the new chain could look like was provided in the council meeting package on April 3.
“This is a new one starting fresh but being similar in design as the current one,” chief administrative officer Sandi Millett-Campbell told council.
The new chain of office would have up to 32 nickel name bars, seven maple leafs and a medallion with the town’s coat of arms at the bottom. A larger medallion would be attached at the bottom and would be a replication of the one on the existing chain of office.
A person who serves more than one term as mayor only has one name bar on the chain of office. The current chain of office will be archived but no decision has been made on what the town will do with it.