Alberta to drop 'Wild Rose Country' from licence plates

For the first time in 30 years, Alberta is about to get a new provincial licence plate. 

Albertans are being asked to vote on a new design, which does not include the current "Wild Rose Country" slogan. An online poll is open until Aug. 18 so Albertans can pick among the three options.

The "Wild Rose Country" slogan at the bottom of the plate has currently been replaced with a provincial government website.

The new plates will also have "a reflective coating that makes the plate easier to see under low light conditions and easier for infrared equipment to read," provincial officials said.

The plate will be available in the spring of 2015. It will cost an extra $5 to "help cover the costs of production and implementation."

The "Wild Rose Country" slogan has been on Alberta's plates since 1973.

Wildrose MLA Rob Anderson suggested on Twitter that the province is dropping the slogan because of the association with his party, which took on the name of the province's official flower in 2008. The Wildrose Party is now the official opposition in the Alberta's legislature.

Party leader Danielle Smith said Albertans will "see through it pretty clearly that it's a transparently political move."

But Service Alberta Minister Doug Griffiths says that decision has nothing to do with politics, but is about following the lead of jurisdictions around the world that are putting a web address on licence plates.

"When you go on it, you're going to have a lot of information about Alberta. If we get a lot of feedback, then I'm happy to change it, but we see other jurisdictions going to that and we want to continue to advertise Alberta as being the best place on earth," he said.

Street reaction 

Jessica Dill, a Calgarian who recently lived in B.C., said she didn't think they are very original.  

"They remind me very much of the licence plates that they have in other provinces like B.C., and I’m not sure what the alberta.ca brings to the table as opposed to having the provincial slogan Wildrose Country,” said Dill.

Adam Keet said they are "a lot more creative and fun.”

“I prefer these ones over the ones we have now,” said Keet,

The licence plate with the Rocky Mountains in the background were a hit for many, including Calgarian Lindsay Irwin.

“I don’t know if we need a new one, but I can see what they’re saying [that] they think the connection with the Wildrose is too much of a connection in that way, but I think it’s fine. If we are changing out all the licence plates for just that I think it’s silly, but I do like the pictures on the new ones.”

Irwin said she'd rather stick to the old licence plate than pay $5.