Alberta will develop a new design for its vehicle licence plates that will feature mountains instead of the traditional wild rose emblem, Service Alberta Minister Heather Klimchuk announced Tuesday.

But she said the province has not decided if it will change the current "Wild Rose Country" slogan, and it will not bring back the front licence plate, done away with more than 15 years ago.

Alberta Services Minister Heather Klimchuk announced Tuesday the province's licence plate will get a facelift with a new logo and possibly a new slogan. (CBC)

The decision to move ahead with a new design comes as a result of more than 33,000 suggestions provided in an online survey between November 2007 and February this year. The government also conducted a public opinion poll.

"The response to our consultation was tremendous," said Klimchuk. "Albertans are clearly very passionate about their licence plate."

Klimchuk said the new design will be based on the input from Albertans, and the plate made of the latest reflective material for better visibility.

Albertans favour a new logo for their licence plates, with mountains topping the existing wild rose, according to a survey released by the government Tuesday.

A majority of people surveyed want the wild rose emblem replaced with mountains, but the issue of what the licence plate will say is a more difficult decision, the minister said.

"There were many slogans that were brought forward by many Albertans. There's no clear direction on what it should be. 'Strong and Free' and 'Wild Rose Country' — those were probably the two most common, most favourite ones."

Klimchuk said the final decision on a new motto for the licence plates will be made by the Tory caucus.

The new design will be revealed to the public early next year, the minister said.

The government did away with front plates in 1991 as an economy measure, although many police departments have asked for them to be reinstated to make it easier to identify vehicles.

But Klimchuk said law enforcement agencies have adjusted to having only one licence plate on a vehicle, and she saw no need to change that now.