Symbols of British Columbia
Appearance
British Columbia is Canada's westernmost province, and has established several provincial symbols.[1]
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Official symbols
[edit]Symbol | Image | Adopted | Remarks | |
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Coat of arms | Coat of arms of British Columbia | ![]() |
October 15, 1987 | Granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II [1] |
Motto | Splendor sine occasu Splendour without diminishment |
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October 15, 1987 | Granted with other elements of the coat of arms by Queen Elizabeth II |
Shield of arms | Shield of arms of British Columbia | ![]() |
1906 | Granted by King Edward VII. The shield can be found on the BC coat of arms, on highway route markers, and on the insignia of the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service. They are almost the same, the only difference being the number of sun rays. |
Flag | Flag of British Columbia | ![]() |
1960[1] | Duplicates the design of the shield of arms of British Columbia |
Legislative coat of arms/logo | The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia coat of arms or logo | |||
Great Seal | The Great Seal of the Province of British Columbia | Link | Great Seal of British Columbia, entrusted by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia to the Attorney General of British Columbia | |
Emblem of the lieutenant governor | Emblem of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia | ![]() |
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Standard of the lieutenant governor | Standard of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia | ![]() |
Duplicated the design of the emblem of the lieutenant governor | |
Flower | Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttalli) |
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1956[1] | |
Mammal | Spirit bear (Ursus americanus kermodei) |
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April 2006 | Also called Kermode bear |
Bird | Steller's jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) |
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December 17, 1987 | Voted by the people of British Columbia[1] |
Fish | Pacific salmon |
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February 2013 | |
Tree | Western redcedar (Thuja plicata donn) |
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February 1988[1] | Western red cedar is a valuable economic resource of the province |
Gemstone | Jade | ![]() |
1968 | Jade is mined in many parts of British Columbia |
Tartan | Blue, white, green, red and gold | 1974 | Symbolising the ocean, dogwood, forests, the maple leaf and sun on the shield and flag | |
Fossil | Elasmosaur | 2023 | Adopted into the Provincial Symbols and Honours Act. Symbolizing British Columbia's "diverse natural history"[2] |
Other symbols
[edit]Symbol | Image | Adopted | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Provincial Government Social Media Symbol (current) | Rising Sun Logo | 2017 | This symbol is the current logo used by the Province of British Columbia for provincial social media accounts and still has the rising sun, but instead of saying "British Columbia" under the rising sun, it has been changed to only say "BC" and also removed the yellow underline that the previous versions had. | |
Provincial Government Symbol (current) | Rising Sun Logo | ![]() |
2011 | This symbol is the current logo used by the Province of British Columbia and is identical to the logo it replaced, but without the slogan "The Best Place on Earth." It still includes the words "British Columbia" on top of a yellow underline. |
Provincial Government Symbol | Rising Sun Logo - "The Best Place on Earth" slogan | 2005 | This version of the symbol has the rising sun on top of the words "British Columbia" on top of a yellow underline on top of the slogan "The Best Place on Earth." It was used by British Columbia from 2005 to 2011. David Greer, communications director with the Ministry of Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government said "The change in leadership signalled a change in how government brands its products and materials... It's not going to be destroyed. It's just not being replaced."[1] | |
Provincial Government Symbol | "Spirit of BC" (Flag Graphic) | ![]() |
1983 | This was the logo of the Government of BC from 1983 to 2003. It was a stylized graphic of the flag of British Columbia. This symbol remains in some limited use, such as on current standard vehicle registration plates of British Columbia, and on the vehicles of the British Columbia Sheriff Service. |
Building | British Columbia Parliament Buildings | ![]() |
1897 | It is the seat of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia |
Highway Route Marker | ![]() |
Used to denote the route number for provincial highways for the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation. |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Government of British Columbia. "Symbols of British Columbia". Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
- ^ BCPA. "BCPA". BCPA. Retrieved 2023-11-02.