The coat of arms of Ontario is the heraldic symbol representing the Canadian province of Ontario. The arms contains symbols reflecting Ontario's British heritage along with local symbols. At the upper part of the shield is the red cross of St. George, representing England. The lower portion of the shield features three golden maple leaves on a green background. The original arms, consisting of only the shield, were granted by

royal warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

of Queen Victoria on May 26, 1868. The arms were further augmented with supporters, a crest, and motto, by royal warrant of King Edward VII on February 27, 1909. The shield, on a Red Ensign, features in Ontario's provincial flag.

History

The year following Confederation, arms were granted by

from Queen Victoria on May 26, 1868 to Ontario, along with the three other provinces of the new Dominion of Canada, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The Dominion Arms were simple and lacked supporters. The Arms of Ontario comprised what is now the

escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...

or shield of the current Arms of Ontario. This original arms can be seen on the Flag of Ontario, which consists of a defaced Red Ensign, with the Royal Union Flag in the

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

and the arms in the

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

. Also seen on the Arms used by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario surrounded by a wreath of gold maple leaves. In the warrant, Queen Victoria authorized the four arms of the first provinces to be quartered for use on the Great Seal of Canada, and while this was not done for the first Great Seal, it is through this reference it became the '' de facto'' Arms of Canada until 1921. That arms was then also used in the first

Canadian Red Ensign The Canadian Red Ensign (french: Enseigne Rouge Canadienne ) served as a nautical flag and civil ensign for Canada from 1892 to 1965, and later as the ''de facto'' flag of Canada before 1965. The flag is a British red ensign, with the Royal Un ...

, which was flown at the

Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions o ...

. The supporters, crest, and motto, designed by Toronto

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

Edward Marion Chadwick, were added on February 27, 1909, by warrant of King Edward VII. The province's arms stand out for being without royal symbols, namely a crown—although the motto of Ontario, which translates from the Latin "Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet" as "Loyal She Began, Thus She Remains" references perpetual loyalty to the Crown.

Symbolism

Crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

:The crest is a black bear, native to Ontario, passant sable, on a gold and green wreath.

Shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

:The shield of arms consists of three gold maple leaves, representative of Ontario, on a green background, above which on the upper third is a wide white band with a red

St. George's cross In heraldry, Saint George's Cross, the Cross of Saint George, is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader. Associated with the cr ...

, which recalls the historic connection with Britain in Upper Canada.

Supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. H ...

:A moose

dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...

and deer

sinister Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction " left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see ...

are native to Ontario. Motto :The motto is "''Ut incepit fidelis sic permanet''", Latin for "''Loyal she began, loyal she remains''". It refers to the

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

refugees from the American Revolution, who settled in the colony of Quebec, and for whom the area was separated as Upper Canada.

Legislative Assembly variant

History

In a 1992 celebration of the bicentennial of the first meeting of the legislature of Upper Canada at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) on September 17, 1792, a petition was made by the then-Speaker, David Warner, to the Chief Herald of Canada for the granting of a unique coat of arms which would emphasize the distinctive character of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

and to distinguish the assembly's identity from the government's. To that point, the assembly had used the coat of arms of the Government of Ontario. The petition was granted and the new coat of arms was presented by then

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Ramon Hnatyshyn at a ceremony in the Legislative Chamber on April 26, 1993. Ontario's is the first legislature in Canada with a coat of arms separate from the provincial coat of arms.

Symbolism

:The crest is a

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

holding a

calumet Calumet may refer to: Places United States *Calumet Region, in northern Illinois and Indiana **Calumet River **Calumet Trail, Indiana ** Calumet (East Chicago) * Calumet, Colorado *Calumet, Iowa * Calumet, Michigan *Calumet, Minnesota * Calumet ...

. :The griffin is an ancient symbol of justice and equity. The calumet symbolizes the meeting of spirit and discussion that Ontario's First Peoples believe accompanies the use of the pipe. Crown :The crown on the wreath represents national and provincial loyalties; its rim is studded with the provincial gemstone,

amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that t ...

, and topped with three maple leaves, symbolizing Canada, and two white trilliums, the flower of Ontario.

:The shield of arms consists of two crossed

maces Mace may refer to: Spices * Mace (spice), a spice derived from the aril of nutmeg * '' Achillea ageratum'', known as English mace, a flowering plant once used as a herb Weapons * Mace (bludgeon), a weapon with a heavy head on a solid shaft used ...

, joined by the shield of arms of Ontario, on a field of green with a gold rim. :The mace is the traditional symbol of the authority of the Speaker. Shown on the left is the current mace. On the right is the original from the time of the first parliament in 1792.

:A deer

and moose

, which are native to Canada :These animals represent the natural riches of the province. :The

coronets A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. A coronet differs from other kinds of crowns in that a coronet never has arches, and from a tiara in that a coronet completely encircles the head, while a tiara does ...

at their necks honour the original European settlers in Ontario who brought with them the parliamentary form of government. :The Royal Crowns, left 1992, right 1792, recognize the parliamentary bicentennial and recall Ontario's heritage as a constitutional monarchy. They were granted as a special honour by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the recommendation of the Governor General.

Compartment Compartment may refer to: Biology * Compartment (anatomy), a space of connective tissue between muscles * Compartment (chemistry), in which different parts of the same protein serves different functions * Compartment (development), fields of cells ...

:In the base, the maple leaves are for Canada, the white trilliums for Ontario and the roses for York (now Toronto), the provincial capital. Motto :The motto is "''Audi alteram partem''", one of a series of Latin phrases carved in the Chamber of the Ontario Legislative Building. It challenges

MPs MPS, M.P.S., MPs, or mps may refer to: Science and technology * Mucopolysaccharidosis, genetic lysosomal storage disorder * Mononuclear phagocyte system, cells in mammalian biology * Myofascial pain syndrome * Metallopanstimulin * Potassium perox ...

to "''hear the other side''".

References

External links

Coat of arms of Ontario – Government of OntarioArms of Ontario
in the online Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges
Royal Warrant granting Armorial Bearings for the Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and a Great Seal for the Dominion of Canada
Canada Gazette, volume 3, number 22, 27 November 1869, page 36 {{DEFAULTSORT:Coat Of Arms Of Ontario Provincial symbols of Ontario Ontario Ontario Ontario Ontario Ontario

History

Symbolism

Legislative Assembly variant

History

Symbolism

See also

References

External links