Niagara-on-the-Lake

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE

Official blazon

Arms: Gules on a bend Azure fimbriated Argent between two coronets erablé, the mace of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada tempore 1792 Or its cap Gules.
Crest: Issuant from trees Brock’s Monument proper.
Supporters: Two lions Or, that to the dexter gorged of a ribbon Vert suspended therefrom a gorget Argent and supporting a staff proper flying therefrom the Royal Union Flag of 1707, that to the sinister gorged of a ribbon Vert suspended therefrom a medal Argent and supporting a staff proper flying therefrom the Flag of The Corporation of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, both standing on a grassy mount set with peaches and grapevines fructed proper issuant from three bars wavy Azure, Argent and Azure.
Motto: FRUITFUL IN UNITY;

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on October 21, 1995.

The colours refer to the Royal Union Flag. The mace, a gilt wood object dating from 1792, indicates that Niagara-on-the-Lake, known then as Newark, was the first capital of the province of Upper Canada. The maple leaf coronets further this allusion and indicate the town’s Canadian identity.

Brock’s Monument is an important local landmark, commemorating the Battle of Queenston Heights in 1812.

Lions were used with the town’s previous arms adopted c. 1970.
The green colour of the ribbons around their necks is associated with Butler’s Rangers, who settled in the Niagara area following the American Revolutionary War. Gorgets were worn by British Army officers until 1830, and the one on the lion thus alludes to the regiment’s leader, Colonel John Butler, the founder of the town. The other lion wears a medal as a reference to the medals bearing the King’s effigy given to First Nations chiefs in recognition of their alliance with the Crown, and acknowledges the support of the First Nations during the War of 1812, which helped to build a peaceful foundation in the area for the years to follow. The Royal Union Flag of 1707 is used as a symbol of Loyalist heritage and recalls the United Empire Loyalists who settled what is now Niagara-on-the-Lake. The stylized water represents Lake Ontario and the Niagara River, and the base pays tribute to the importance of the local fruit and wine industries.

This existing town motto alludes to the local fruit industry.