Coat of arms of Toronto

Coat of arms of the City of Toronto

The coat of arms of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was designed by Robert Watt, the Chief Herald of Canada at the time, for the city after its amalgamation in 1998.[1] The arms were granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority on January 11, 1999.[1]

The coat of arms can be described as follows: Or, a pale and a chief Azure. The crest: on a wreath of the colours, issuant from a mural coronet Or, masoned Sable charged with a human heart Gules between two roses Argent, buttoned Or, slipped proper, on a grassy mount Vert, a golden eagle statant, wings elevated and expanded proper. The supporters are: on the dexter, a beaver sejeant proper, collared with a torse Gules, therefrom on a hexagon Or an ash leaf Vert; on the sinister, a brown bear rampant proper, collared with a torse Gules, pendant therefrom a hexagon charged with a columbine flower proper. Both supporters are placed on a grassy mount from which at the base of the shield three wavy streams in pairle reversed Argent each surcharged with another Azure flow into a barry wavy ‘lakefront', below which is placed a scroll with the motto Diversity Our Strength between two maple leaves Gules, veined Or, at the extremities of the scroll.[2]

The Canadian Heraldic Authority's official blazon of the coat of arms is:[1]

The arms displayed on the shield are designed in a way that represents the two towers of Toronto City Hall and the capital letter T, as shown in the image of the arms.[3] The three wavy streams beneath the shield represent the three rivers of Toronto: the Humber, the Don and the Rouge. The barry wavy 'lakefront' represents Lake Ontario.

Former coats of arms

The chain of office of the Mayor of Toronto includes the coats of arms or heraldic devices of all prior municipalities, including the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto.[4]

The coats of arms for the current City of Toronto, the former City of Scarborough, and the former City of York are registered in the Canadian Heraldic Authority's Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada.[5] The former City of York was the only former municipality in Metropolitan Toronto to have a motto in Latin, while the mottoes of the other municipalities were in English.

Toronto

Arms of the former city of Toronto

The former City of Toronto had a coat of arms prior to amalgamation in 1998.[6] The shield consisted of four quarters separated by a white cross charged with a red maple leaf. The first quarter was red and charged with three golden lions as an allusion to the coat of arms of England, the second quarter was blue with a white stylized rose to allude to York, the third quarter was blue with a white cog wheel for industry, and the fourth quarter displayed a steam boat in gold on red to represent the importance of the lake and waterways in and around the city.[7] The crest was a beaver atop a gold mural crown. The supporters were a First Nations warrior (likely representing the local Mississaugas) with a bow (on the viewer’s left), and the personification of Britannia with trident and shield painted with the Union Jack (on the viewer’s right). The motto was “Industry, Intelligence, Integrity”.

In an earlier version of the arms, a beaver was shown in place of the white rose, and a sheaf of wheat instead of the cog wheel.[8] In addition, the First Nations supporter in the earlier coat of arms was a Chief holding an axe, and both supporters were facing directly across to one another.

East York

The Borough of East York's armorial device was designed by Harry Faulks, a resident of Leaside. It was selected by the borough in 1967 and consisted of the following elements:[9]

Etobicoke

The City of Etobicoke’s coat of arms included the following items:[6]

North York

The City of North York’s armorial device consisted of:[6]

Scarborough

The City of Scarborough’s coat of arms was granted in 1996 by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, and the official blazon of the arms was as follows:[10]

The previous armorial device of the former borough had a shield within a laurel wreath.[11] Upon this shield were the following elements, in quarters:

York

This time capsule outside the York Civic Centre is intended to be sealed for 196 years. It depicts the city of York's logo and coat of arms.

The City of York’s coat of arms was granted in 1993 by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, and the official blazon of the arms was as follows:[12]

The city's motto was in Latin, and it was the only former municipality with a motto in that language, while the others were in English.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "City of Toronto arms". Official website of the Governor General. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  2. ↑ City of Toronto - Grant of Arms and Supporters - January 11, 1999 - Vol. III, p. 291. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Coat of Arms and City motto. City of Toronto website. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Chain of Office. City of Toronto website. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada". Official website of the Governor General. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "Government records". City of Toronto Archives. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "Pre-Amalgamation Coat of Arms". Torontoist. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "City of Toronto Flag". Optimists Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  9. ↑ The Bulldog, a symbol of East York (PDF file). Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "City of Scarborough arms". Official website of the Governor General. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Scarborough arms image
  12. ↑ "City of York arms". Official website of the Governor General. Retrieved 6 April 2015.

External links

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