Arms of the City of Fort William
Arms of the City of Fort William
Blazon
Per fess Argent and Azure on a fess per pale Or and Argent a stag’s head caboshed Sable attired Gules and a lake trout naiant proper, all between in chief a birchbark canoe therein a European man and seven Canadian voyageurs the latter with their paddles in action proper in the stern a flag Gules inscribed NW, and in base a lymphad sail furled, flagged and with oars in action Or;
Symbolism
The Canadian Heraldic Authority does not have confirmed symbolism for this emblem. The following comments are hypotheses only. The design uses elements from an attributed coat of arms for the North West Company, a notable fur-trading enterprise, and the arms granted to William McGillivray, the city’s namesake and the last chief partner of the Company. This marks the fact that Fort William was an important fur trading post for the company in the early decades of the 19th century.
Crest of the City of Fort William
Blazon
A beaver gnawing at the trunk of a tree proper the branches thereof enfiled by a scroll Argent bearing the word PERSEVERANCE in letters Gules, all issuant from a mural crown proper;
Symbolism
The Canadian Heraldic Authority does not have confirmed symbolism for this emblem. The following comments are hypotheses only. The beaver, tree and scroll with the word “Perseverance” are the crest of William McGillivray, and were also used with the draft arms of the North West Company. The mural crown is often used to identify a municipality.
Motto of the City of Fort William
Blazon
A POSSE AD ESSE;
Symbolism
This Latin phrase means “From possibility to reality.”
Supporters of the City of Fort William
Blazon
Dexter a voyageur holding a paddle, sinister an Ojibwe man holding a club, both standing on a representation of the Nor’Wester Mountains proper;
Symbolism
The Canadian Heraldic Authority does not have confirmed symbolism for this emblem. The following comments are hypotheses only. The supporters likely allude to the city’s history as a starting point of the canoe routes to Western Canada, as well as to its status as a fur trading post in the early 19th century.
