| Arms of His Majesty The King in Right of Ontario | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Versions | |
 For use by thelieutenant governor of Ontario | |
.svg) For use by theGovernment of Ontario | |
 Second SVG version of the coat of arms of Ontario | |
| Armiger | Charles IIIin Right of Ontario |
| Adopted | 1868, augmented 1909 |
| Crest | Upon a wreath of the colours a bear passant Sable |
| Shield | Vert, a sprig of three maple leaves slipped Or, on a chief argent a cross gules. |
| Supporters | On the dexter side a moose and on the sinister side a deer, both proper. |
| Motto | UT INCEPIT FIDELIS SIC PERMANET Loyal she began, loyal she remains |
Thecoat of arms of Ontario is thearmorial emblem representing the Canadian province ofOntario. The arms contain symbols reflecting Ontario's British heritage, along with local symbols. At the upper part of the shield is thered 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 byroyal warrant ofQueen Victoria on 26 May 1868. The arms were further augmented with supporters, a crest and a motto, by royal warrant of KingEdward VII on 27 February 1909.[1]
The shield, on aRed Ensign, features in theprovincial flag of Ontario.
The year followingConfederation, arms were granted byroyal warrant fromQueen Victoria on 26 May 1868[1] toOntario, along with the three other provinces of the new Dominion of Canada,Quebec,Nova Scotia andNew Brunswick. The Dominion Arms were simple and lacked supporters. The Arms of Ontario comprised what is now theescutcheon or shield of the current Arms of Ontario. This original arms can be seen on theFlag of Ontario, which consists of adefacedRed Ensign, with theRoyal Union Flag in thecanton and the arms in thefly. Also seen on the Arms used by theLieutenant 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 theGreat Seal of Canada, and while this was not done for the first Great Seal, it is through this reference it became thede factoArms of Canada until 1921.[2] That arms was then also used in the firstCanadian Red Ensign, which was flown at theBattle of Vimy Ridge.
The supporters, crest, and motto, designed byTorontobarrister Edward Marion Chadwick, were added on 27 February 1909, by warrant of KingEdward VII.[1]
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 theCrown.
As part of the celebration in 1992 of the bicentennial of the first meeting of the legislature ofUpper Canada at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) on 17 September 1792, a petition was made by the then-Speaker, David Warner, to theChief Herald of Canada for the granting of a unique coat of arms which would emphasize the distinctive character of theLegislative Assembly of Ontario and distinguish the assembly's identity from the government's.[3] 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 thenGovernor-GeneralRamon Hnatyshyn at a ceremony in the Legislative Chamber on 26 April 1993. Ontario's is the first legislature in Canada with a coat of arms separate from the provincial coat of arms.[4]
