The coat of arms of Ottawa was presented to the municipality of Ottawa by

Vincent Massey Charles Vincent Massey (February 20, 1887December 30, 1967) was a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 18th since Confederation. Massey was the first governor general of Canada who was born in Canada after ...

on 20 October 1954.Coat of Arms
." ''Ottawa City Hall.'' URL accessed 11 October 2006.

History

Engraver

John Henry Walker John Henry Walker (1831–1899), a pioneer Canadian engraver and illustrator, was from County Antrim in Northern Ireland and as a young boy emigrated in 1842 to Canada with his family, settling in Toronto, Upper Canada. In 1845 he was apprent ...

designed an original coat of arms for Bytown and later one for the City of Ottawa in the 1850s. In 1954, the

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...

, acting in his capacity as

Earl Marshal Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the U ...

, issued letters patent granting arms to the city of Ottawa. The city formally declared the use of the arms in force as of 1 January of the following year. Upon amalgamation of the city of Ottawa with surrounding municipalities in 2001, the new City Council requested that the arms be reissued to the newly formed municipality. In March of that year, the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for t ...

issued a new grant of arms. The new arms are exactly the same as the old.

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

white pine ''Pinus'', the pines, is a genus of approximately 111 extant tree and shrub species. The genus is currently split into two subgenera: subgenus ''Pinus'' (hard pines), and subgenus ''Strobus'' (soft pines). Each of the subgenera have been further ...

is the historical basis of the economic power of the

Ottawa Valley The Ottawa Valley is the valley of the Ottawa River, along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais, Quebec, Canada. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield. Because of the surroun ...

, while the small badge on the tree refers to Bytown, the town that later became the city of Ottawa. Shield :The main element of the shield, the wavy blue and white lines, represent the Ottawa River running from left to right with the Rideau and Gatineau rivers represented above and below. A royal crown alludes to Queen Victoria's choice of Ottawa as Canada's capital, while the maple leaf is the national emblem of Canada. At the top of the shield, the arrows and paddle are representative of the first inhabitants of the region, while the astrolabe in the centre alludes to Samuel de Champlain who was first to discover Quebec, today known as part of Canada, and also explore the Ottawa river , and the remaining tools to

John By Lieutenant-Colonel John By (7 August 1779 – 1 February 1836) was an English military engineer. He is best known for having supervised the construction of the Rideau Canal and for having founded Bytown in the process. It developed and was des ...

, builder of the Rideau Canal.

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 ...

:Again referring to the history of the Ottawa Valley. Supporters :The timber trimmer again represents the historical economic strength of the Ottawa Valley, while the officer of the Civil Service Rifle Regiment alludes to Ottawa's place as the centre of government—the civil service—of Canada.

Motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

:Adapted from the motto of the pre-amalgamation city of Ottawa, "City of Ottawa Advance"

References

{{Heraldry in Canada Ottawa Culture of Ottawa Municipal government of Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa

History

Symbolism

See also

References