TOWN UNVEILS NEW FLAG & COAT OF ARMS

For Immediate Release December 10, 2013 Niagara-on-the-Lake - Lord Mayor, accompanied by the Right Reverend D. Ralph Spence, Albion Herald Extraordinary, officially unveiled a new town flag and coat of arms today before an audience at the Courthouse. Following the official proclamation ceremony, a procession, led by the Fort George Fife & Drum Corps and completed by an honour guard from the 809 Newark Squadron Air Cadets, witnessed the raising of the flag. The procession then continued on to St. Mark’s Church for a special service commemorating the Burning of Niagara. “We thought this was a fitting date to introduce a symbol of hope and promise given the devastation that occurred exactly 200 years to the day, the burning of our town,” stated Lord Mayor Eke. “From ashes comes rebirth and hope.” The new flag, coat of arms and badge have been granted by the Chief Herald of Canada, Dr. Claire Boudreau, Director of the Canadian Heraldic Authority within the office of the Governor General. Bishop Spence, who served as Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara from 1998 - 2008, represented the Chief Herald and read the official proclamation. He is one of only four Canadians who hold the title of herald extraordinary. A description of the new coat of arms, flag and badge, known as armorial bearings in heraldry, is attached. For more information, please contact: Dave Eke, Lord Mayor 905-468-3266

Symbolism of the Armorial Bearings of The Corporation of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake

Arms: 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.

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

Motto: This existing town motto alludes to the local fruit industry.

Supporters: Lions were used with the town’s previous arms adopted c. 1970. The ribbons around their necks are the colour 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, Captain John Butler, who farmed in Niagara and is buried in 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 1707 design of the Royal Union Flag 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.

Concept: Bruce Patterson, Deputy Chief Herald of Canada, and Ralph Spence, Albion Herald Extraordinary, assisted by the heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.

Painter: Debbie MacGarvie.

Calligrapher: Shirley Mangione.

Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada, Volume VI, page 277, 15 November 2013.