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

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

 by Vincent Massey

Vincent Massey

Charles Vincent Massey was a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 18th since Canadian Confederation....

 on 20 October 1954.

History

In 1954, the Duke of Norfolk

Duke of Norfolk

The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...

, acting in his capacity as Earl Marshal

Earl Marshal

Earl Marshal is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England...

, issued letters patent

Letters patent

Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

 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

Canadian Heraldic Authority

The Canadian Heraldic Authority is part of the Canadian honours system under the Queen of Canada, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General. The Authority is responsible for the creation and granting of new coats of arms , flags and badges for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and...

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

Symbolism

Crest

Crest (heraldry)

A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....

The white pine

Eastern White Pine

Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...

 is the historical basis of the economic power of the Ottawa Valley

Ottawa Valley

The Ottawa Valley is the valley along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec along the Ottawa River. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield...

, 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 the discovery of Canada by Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....

, and the remaining tools to John By

John By

Lieutenant-Colonel John By was a British military engineer, best remembered for supervising the construction of the Rideau Canal and, in the process, founding what would become the city of Ottawa....

, builder of the Rideau Canal

Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...

.

Compartment

Compartment

In heraldry, a compartment is a design placed under the shield, usually rocks, a grassy mount , or some sort of other landscape upon which the supporters are depicted as standing...

Again referring to the history of the Ottawa Valley.

Supporters

Supporters

In heraldry, supporters are figures usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. These figures may be real or imaginary animals, human figures, and in rare cases plants or inanimate objects...

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

Motto

A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...

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

See also

• Canadian heraldry
  Canadian heraldry
  Canadian heraldry is the cultural tradition and style of coats of arms and other heraldic achievements in both modern and historic Canada. It includes national, provincial, and civic arms, noble and personal arms, ecclesiastical heraldry, heraldic displays as corporate logos, and Canadian heraldic...
  
  
• National symbols of Canada
  National symbols of Canada
  National symbols of Canada are the symbols that are used in Canada and abroad to represent the country and its people. Prominently, the use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates back to the early 18th century, and is depicted on its current and previous flags, the penny, and on the coat of...
  
  
• List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols
• Heraldry
  Heraldry
  Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...