- The Governor General of Canada
The contents of this Register are intended for research purposes only. The heraldic emblems found in the Register may not be reproduced in any form or in any media without the written consent of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and/or the recipient.
District of Powell River
Powell River, British Columbia
Registration of Arms and Supporters
June 20, 2025
Vol. VIII, p. 391
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Blazon
Arms
Per fess Or and Azure in chief six Douglas firs on a mount, in base a lifebelt corded, charged on either side with a dogwood flower and encircling a salmon leaping contourné all proper;
Crest
A roll of newspaper in front of a Douglas fir on a mount, all surmounting a rising sun proper and issuant from a crown vallary Or;
Supporters
Dexter a deer sinister a mountain goat, each standing on a felled Douglas fir, set on a mount charged with a river palewise proper;
*The blazon indicates that the sinister supporter is a mountain goat; however, the painting from the College of Arms depicts it as a bighorn sheep.
Motto
ORA SOLIS;
Symbolism
Arms
The Canadian Heraldic Authority does not have confirmed symbolism for this emblem. The following comments are hypotheses only. The Douglas firs refer to the district’s logging and pulp mill history, based on the abundance of these huge trees in the area. The salmon likely refers to the Powell River’s importance as a salmon spawning stream. The lifebelt possibly alludes to the Malahat, a famous lumber schooner that operated from Powell River and whose 1944 wreck site near the district is a recognized historic site. The dogwood flower is the floral emblem of British Columbia.
Crest
The Canadian Heraldic Authority does not have confirmed symbolism for this emblem. The following comments are hypotheses only. The sun is taken from the arms of British Columbia and makes a reference to the district’s location on the province’s Sunshine Coast. The roll of newsprint is a further reference to paper mills, Powell River having been the location of the first manufacturer of newsprint in Western Canada in 1912, and which eventually became the location of the largest pulp and paper mill in the world. The tree repeats the symbolism of the Arms.
Supporters
Black-tailed deer and mountain goats are species local to the district. The felled Douglas firs make a further reference to the lumber industry, and the river alludes to the district’s namesake waterway.
Motto
This Latin phrase means “The coast of the sun.” This alludes to Powell River’s location on the Sunshine Coast.