Coat of arms
symbolism of the armorial bearings of the city of edmundston, n.b.
Granted by Dr. Claire Boudreau, Chief Herald of Canada, on 15 July 2011, from a concept developed by Dr. Robert Pichette, Dauphin Herald Extraordinary of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, a native of Edmundston (1936). The armorial bearings are entered in Volume VI, page 57 of the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada.
the blazon, or official description of the armorial bearings from the letters patent:
Per fess sapiné Or and Vert, in chief on a fess wavy Azure two lightning bolts in saltire surmounted by a mullet, in base a unicorn's head Or; And for a Crest: The P'tit Sault Blockhouse set on a rock proper; And for a Motto: IN FRATERNITATE UNITAS (Unity in Brotherhood); And for Supporters: Two porcupines standing on a grassy mount set with purple violets, pinecones and buckwheat seeds proper.
arms
The green colour and the dividing line shaped like fir trees represent both agriculture and forestry, the economic pillars of Madawaska County, of which Edmundston is the county seat and the largest city. Green was also the dominant colour of the former arms of Edmundston. The wavy stripe symbolises the two primary watercourses that meet in Edmundston, the Saint John River and the Madawaska River. The star and two lightning bolts, symbols of hydroelectric power, appeared in the crest of Edmundston's former arms. The city of Edmundston is the only city in New Brunswick to generate hydroelectricity. The star symbolises hope; it is the Stella Maris, the Star of the Sea, the chief symbol of Acadia, adopted in 1884. The unicorn's head is taken from the arms of Sir Edmund Walker Head (1805-68), Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick (1848-54), who in 1851 gave his name to the small village of P'tit Sault, at the request of the residents. The unicorn's head was also one of the key elements of the former municipal arms.
crest
The Ptit Sault Blockhouse was built in 1841 on a promontory overlooking the junction of the Saint John and Madawaska rivers at the height of the Aroostook War between the United States and Great Britain. It was part of a line of defence stretching from Saint John to Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. Destroyed by a lightning strike in 1855, it was accurately reconstructed in 2000, thanks to the generosity of the community, and in a sense it crowns the city.
motto
Meaning “Unity in brotherhood”, this motto was that of the former municipality of Saint-Jacques, which amalgamated with Edmundston's new civic reality.
supporters
The porcupines allude to the Maliseet name of Madawaska County, meaning “land of porcupines.” There was also a porcupine in the former municipal arms of Edmundston, Verret and Saint-Basile, which today form the city of Edmundston. The buckwheat seeds suggest a regional culinary specialty, “ployes” or buckwheat pancakes. These seeds were widely cultivated in the Edmundston area. A buckwheat flower also appeared on the Saint-Basile arms. The purple violet, New Brunswick's provincial flower, is taken from the Saint-Jacques and Verret arms. The pinecone was also in the Verret arms and in the former arms of Edmundston. Il also alludes to the neighbouring State of Maine in the United States called “The Pine Tree State”, which shares a border with Madawaska County. It emphasizes the cordial relations between the regions.
