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 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 Royal warrant from Queen Victoria on May 26, 1868 to Ontario, along with the 3 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 was comprised what is now the Escutcheon 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 and the arms in the fly. 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 factoArms of Canada until 1921. That arms was then also used in the first Canadian Red Ensign, most notably flown at the Battle of Vimy Ridge The supporters, crest, and motto, designed by Torontobarrister Edward Marion Chadwick, were added on February 27, 1909 by Royal warrant from King Edward VII. The province's arms are the only one 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.
In celebration of the bicentennial of the first meeting of the legislature of Upper Canada at Newark 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 and to distinguish the Assembly's identity from the Government. Up 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-GeneralRamon Hnatyshyn at a ceremony in the Legislative Chamber on April 26, 1993. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the first legislature in Canada to have a coat of arms separate from the provincial coat of arms.
