It appears the City of Calgary has had it with its cowboy motif.

Just two years after highway signs welcoming visitors to the Albertan city were decaled with the Heart of the New West slogan, city officials are once again in the throes of a re-branding campaign.


And not everyone is impressed. City councillor and former Tourism Calgary VP Joe Connelly thinks the plan should be scrapped so long as the recession persists.

"Spending a bunch of money like this during a recession is not a wise thing to do," he told Sun Media.

No word yet on a design strategy but reports indicate the city has spent $100,000 to date exploring the change.

Alberta College of Art and Design president Lance Carlson is spearheading the initiative, which was approved last November alongside a 10-year economic development plan.

The plan calls for a "clear and distinctive identity" separate from the stylized cowboy hat the city incorporated with the New West tagline in 2003. Contact: www.calgary.ca