Arms of the École de technologie supérieure

Blazon

Argent a piranha-swallow rising Azure embellished Argent and Gules enfiling an oval annulet, a base dancetty of three its peaks in chevron Gules;

Symbolism

Red is the emblematic colour of ÉTS and of Montréal, where the school was founded. White—the heraldic equivalent of silver—evokes steel and the school’s close ties to the industrial sector. Blue, the colour of Quebec, indicates its status as a Francophone institution and its active contribution to the province’s economic and technological development. Dubbed a “hiranha” as a portmanteau of the words hirondelle (French for “swallow”) and piranha, the hybrid creature combines the characteristics of these two gregarious animals and thus symbolizes teamwork, one of the school’s core values. As its sports teams are named the Piranhas, the hiranha also embodies the students’ fighting spirit and solidarity. The cliff swallow represents both engineering and the environment by virtue of the fact that it builds its nest on civil engineering structures, such as bridges and dams, while its status as a protected species reminds us that sustainable development must guide innovation. The ring refers to the iron ring of an engineer and, with the hiranha flying through it, to the time when ÉTS was seen as an underdog and yet succeeded to rise and obtain accreditation for its university program in engineering. The upward trajectory of the hiranha represents the desire of students and graduates to surpass themselves. The triangles allude to the three peaks of Mount Royal, to the school’s influence and to a piranha’s teeth.