South Frontenac

SOUTH FRONTENAC

Province : Ontario

Official blazon

Arms : Azure four bulrushes in cross their heads to the centre Or.
Crest: Issuant from a mural crown Azure masoned Argent charged with a roundel per saltire Argent, Or, Gules and Sable between two griffins’ claws Or, a loon rising wings elevated and addorsed proper.
Supporters: Two stags guardant Or attired and unguled Azure each bearing on the shoulder a hurt, that to the dexter charged with a milk canister, that to the sinister with a fish hauriant Argent, both standing on a rocky mount set with trilliums and tufts of grass proper issuant from barry-wavy Argent and Azure.
Motto: OUR STRENGTH IS OUR COMMUNITY

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on April 15, 2013.

The bulrushes are features of the many lakes of the township, and allude to the natural setting responsible for the tourism and recreation aspects of the local economy. Their number refers to the township’s predecessor municipalities: Loughborough, Storrington, Bedford and Portland.

The loon is another feature of the township’s lakes. The mural coronet is a symbol of municipal authority. The yellow griffins’ claws on blue are based on the arms of the Comte de Frontenac (Governor of New France 1672-1682 and 1689-1698), for whom the township is named. The disc divided in four is a First Nations symbol, honouring the original Algonquin occupants of the region.

The stags, which are found in the forests of the township, represent the forestry industry in earlier times, as well as recreational hunting. A stag’s head also appears on the arms of Lord Sydenham, Governor General of Canada (1839-1841), after whom South Frontenac’s largest community is named. The milk canister represents the importance of dairy farming in the township’s history. The fish refers to recreational fishing. The rocky base refers to the Frontenac Axis of the Canadian Shield, the geographical feature that runs through the township. Trilliums, the floral emblem of Ontario, grow in abundance in the township, and the waves at the bottom are another indication of the lakes within South Frontenac.

Literature : Image from http://www.gg.ca