Changing the name of our home may not sound like a priority on CBRM's to do list, especially when it is difficult to move on from established names that people have grown up with. But you get used to it. When the pandemic started, people said coronavirus, or 'rona as a slang term. You're probably so used to saying covid now that you'd never go back to saying "coronavirus".

Personally, I believe that rebranding is necessary to boost morale in a community, and to attract newcomers. Cape Breton Regional Municipality is such an ugly city name. It's long, devoid of culture, and it's not an actual city name. It's the absence of a city name, or name-in-lieu of city. CBRM doesn't make it any easier, because when you unravel the acronym it still screams "this is not a city," just a hodge podge of towns where most of Cape Breton's population resides.

A proper city name should be declared so that the world recognizes that there is a city here.

Here is a list of city and island names, and flags that I think are good and would likely end up on a list if a public consultation were to take place on the topic. I have also ranked them with some reasons why. I hope you like them.

City name

1. Marchester
   When thinking of a city name, I thought it would be best if the name was based on a significant person in our history. I thought, well that's easy. There's no person more deserving of that honor than Donald Marshall Jr. So I started with Marshall, but that doesn't sound like a place name. Marshall what? Marshall County? Marshalltown, Marshallville?... these all sounded too rural. Marshall City? No... Then I took to Google maps and searched around places to see if I could splice the word "Marshall" with a suffix. As I was going through the UK, it clicked as I passed Manchester: Marchester. Thanks to Manchester, you instantly think city when you hear this name, and it sounds unique and recognizable. We can really own this name, and I hope it catches on. Marchester sounds exciting in my opinion.
2. Marshall County
   I sat on Marshall County for about two weeks. It works, but it didn't seem to have that urban vibe to it. Marshall County sounds like a pit stop on a road trip through the American Midwest.
3. Greater Sydney
   Greater Sydney may be the first to come to mind when you think of renaming CBRM. But the truth is, we'd be using it already if it worked. It would also be inaccurate. Something people do say is "the Sydney area", but it usually refers to Sydney, Membertou, Sydney River, Whitney Pier, and Westmount and Coxheath. I don't think even North Sydney and Sydney Mines are included in most definitions of "the Sydney area". So to put it simply, Greater Sydney works, but doesn't make an effort to accommodate the areas outside of the Sydney area, which I think is the primary reason why people don't like this name.
4. Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM)
   CBRM ranks lower than Greater Sydney. For starters, calling the county Cape Breton is inaccurate and confusing. A cape is defined by Merriam-Webster as "a point or extension of land jutting out into water as a peninsula or as a projecting point". The entire island is the cape, not the county nor the municipality. Second, as previously mentioned, CBRM lacks any kind of cultural identity. It's just a boring administrative term. When you talk to someone in another part of the world and they ask you what city you're from, you're probably going to say the town, because CBRM is too cringe to say to a stranger. Even worse if you say the full name. There's no point in promoting a name that people are embarrassed to say off-island. CBRM ranks at the bottom of the list for this reason, and it should be rid of in my opinion.

Island name

1. Brevon Island, or BVI for short
   Shortening the name is important for quick reference and informal conversations. Most people say Cape Breton instead of Cape Breton Island for this reason. However, making the word easier to say is part of the same process. At first, I thought just remove the Cape and make it Breton Island. It works, but I don't know why, but that T just kinda ruins it. Like Marshall County, I sat on this name for a while until I changed the T to a V. And it sounded a lot better. Brevon Island checks a lot of desirable boxes. It has a shortened acronym, it's unique and recognizable, it sounds cool, it's one less syllable than the current name, and most importantly, it's derivative of the original name, which makes it easier to adapt to.
2. Bradore Island, or Bradore for short
   An anglicized version of Bras D'Or, this name ranks high because it also checks a lot of desirable boxes. It has a shortened version that's easy to say, it's one less syllable than the current name, and it's culturally relevant because the Bras D'Or Lake touches all four counties. And Bradore Island could be a name that helps promote the island's beauty to tourists. This name only ranks lower than BVI because it's not derivative of Cape Breton Island, and thus would be more difficult for people to adjust.
3. Cape Breton Island, or Cape Breton for short
   Unlike CBRM, Cape Breton Island is a name that works. Don't fix what isn't broken. However, I do believe that our current island name leaves more to be desired, so I ranked it lower than Bradore Island and BVI. Also, keeping the same name kinda defeats the purpose of this project.
4. Unamagi
   A simplified version of Unama'ki that would be easier for outsiders to pronounce. There are probably people on this island who believe that Unama'ki should be the official name of the island in English, but unfortunately a lot of English speakers, especially Atlantic Canadians, prefer simple names. Also, Unama'ki doesn't quite fit in among Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador. And I don't know if there's a proper way to shorten or simplify the name further without butchering its Mi'kmaq meaning. In other words, let's leave Unama'ki as a Mi'kmaq language exclusive to be used in official and ceremonial contexts.
5. Glooscap Island
   Continuing the idea of honoring Mi'kmaq culture and territory, naming the island after Glooscap seems appropriate. I wish I could rank this name higher, because it sounds nice and unique as a full name, but there really isn't a way to shorten this without it sounding bland and boring. GI or GLI doesn't sound as cool as BVI, in my opinion. And you can't just say Glooscap, because that's a person not a place. Oof.
6. Rita Island
   Cape Breton has two historical figures named Rita. If you want to name the island after a significant person in history, I would recommend the Ritas over any other musician or Donald Marshall Jr. Consider this name the Queen of the little league name ideas, as it's really only suggested for the purpose of honoring historical figures.
7. Royal Island/Isle Royale
   French colonists called this place Isle Royale, but Royal Island in the 21st Century refers to an island resort for millionaires in the Bahamas. We shouldn't re-appropriate this name.
8. Breton Island
   Ranked at the bottom of the list because Brevon Island is a better version of this name.

Island flag

I used a more golden color than the current yellow for these flags. This is because when you remove the black lines around the yellow ring, the yellow and white blend in together. I think that removing the black lines were important in modernizing the flag, so the golden color looked more distinct.

1. Green, White and Gold Tricolour, aka the Butter Banner / Butter flag
   
   
   For a long time, I thought that a modernized version of our current flag would be an appropriate update. However, I find that the green arrows are too derivative of the Nova Scotian flag, and when you design a flag you want it to be exclusive to your culture. I also recently learned that it's not necessarily the Canadian-style banners or the ring and arrows that gives the Cape Breton flag its unique appearance and affiliation. For most flags, it's the colors that matter. In this case, the green and yellow. After spending a few weeks testing variations of yellow and gold, this is what I ended up with. This flag ranks higher than the rest because it's the simplest and most recognizable. I also like to call it the Butter Banner, because it looks like an Irish flag but with a block of butter, butterscotch fudge or maple syrup mixed with butter. If this gold doesn't quite work for you, but you like the tricolour, feel free to search for a different yellow/gold that works with the green and white.
   
   
2. Modernized Cape Breton flag
   
   
   I think I could have made the lines thicker, but I felt that doing so would decrease the significance of the island, which was the whole point of this design. Unlike the Canadian flag, we can't just slap on a giant island and call it a day. It looks better with the ring and arrows. I would rank this flag above the butter flag, but it's this conundrum I found myself in that prevented me from making a better modernized Cape Breton flag. Maybe a graphic designer or vexillologist can make a better version.
   
   
3. Generic No Island flag
   
   
   To be honest, I'm not actually a fan of this flag, but I'm ranking it higher than the current flag because it's easier for 5-year-old kids to draw. It's kind of bland, but it is a unique and recognizable barebones of the current Cape Breton flag.
   
   
4. Current Cape Breton flag
   
   
   Don't get me wrong, this is a good flag. It's better than a lot of flags in Canada. The current Cape Breton flag is widely accessible, and I imagine would be used for years even after it's changed. But it looks outdated in my opinion. Like something from the 90s/2000s. The text also kinda ruins it. However, this flag was indeed much better than the flags it competed against at the time it was adopted. It also has the Scottish St Andrew's Cross, if that's something you value, but Cape Breton and Canada are multicultural immigrant lands with prominent indigenous cultures. I would advise against using the St Andrew's Cross.