- The Governor General of Canada
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Strathcona County
Sherwood Park, Alberta
Grant of Arms and Supporters
February 20, 2015
Vol. VI, p. 486
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Blazon
Arms
Per fess enhanced Azure and Vert a fess enhanced embattled tapissé of wheat between in chief a beaver couchant and in base an aspen poplar tree eradicated between two arrowheads Or;
Crest
Issuant from a coronet its upper rim set with garbs between two triangles Vert, a demi-lion Or;
Supporters
Two horses proper standing on a grassy mount Vert set with oat stalks Or rising from barry wavy Or and Sable;
Motto
CRESCENS PER HISTORIAM,
Symbolism
Arms
Green and blue are the corporate colours of the county, with the gold representing the prosperity of the community. The beaver alludes to the nearby Beaver Hills as well as the industry generated by the fur traders of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The aspen poplar tree is a local species, and it alludes to the idea of growth and renewal, as well as interconnectedness. The arrowheads refer to the First Nations who lived off the land. The horizontal bar of wheat represents the new crops of the settler era, while its embattled edge represents a silhouette of a city skyline of buildings.
Crest
The gold lion is taken from the armorial bearings of the county’s namesake, Lord Strathcona, a Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The coronet of peaks flanking wheat garbs alludes to the meaning of the Scottish Gaelic word “strath”, a long, wide, low-lying valley between hills on either side.
Supporters
The horses represent the county’s horse-related industry and large population of horses. The oats, an early county crop, symbolize the agriculture industry. The black wavy bar evokes the refining industry and the movement of oil.
Motto
This Latin phrase, meaning “Growing through history”, alludes to the growth of the community.