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Prince George, British Columbia (Canada)

Fraser-Fort George Regional District

1:2 image by Eugene Ipavec
Source: Canadian City Flags, Raven 18

Prince George
Current Flag
- Design
- Symbolism
- Selection
- Designer
- Coat of Arms

See also:

Prince George

Prince George is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is the "Northern Capital" of BC.

Current Flag

Text and image(s) from Canadian City Flags, Raven 18 (2011), courtesy of the North American Vexillological Association, which retains copyright. Image(s) by permission of Eugene Ipavec.

The flag of the City of Prince George is divided horizontally by two wavy stripes of golden yellow over blue, each one-tenth the height of the flag, with nine undulations. Above them is a blue field with two large white stylized snowflakes centred on the left and right sides; below them is a golden yellow field with a large cinquefoil (a five-pointed heraldic flower with wavy petals), in blue highlighted in white, in the centre.
Jim Croft, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Symbolism

The golden yellow represents the region’s prosperity. Under the leadership of Simon Fraser, the famous fur trader and explorer who mapped much of British Columbia, the North West Company of Montréal established Fort George here in 1807. This began the development of the wealth of the area. The fur post was centred in the homeland of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, whose name means “people of the confluence of the two rivers”. The two wavy stripes represent the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers at Prince George. The two snowflakes reflect Prince George’s position as “British Columbia’s Northern Capital”, and recall the motto on the city’s coat of arms, “Shaping a Northern Destiny”. The cinquefoil represents a strawberry plant (Fragaria sp.), called a “fraise” in heraldry and a pun on “Fraser”.
Jim Croft, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Selection

The city applied to the Canadian Heraldic Authority for a grant of a flag. Adopted 13 August 1995.
Jim Croft, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Designer

Graham Anderson, Cowichan Herald Extraordinary of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
Jim Croft, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Coat of Arms

based on Canadian Heraldic Authority

The flag is based upon the shield of the city's coat-of-arms.

The shield is described on the city of Prince George web site as follows:
The colours blue and gold were chosen since blue suggests the waters of the rivers and gold the wealth and prosperity of the City and its region. The two wavy bars are a reference to the rivers - Fraser and Nechako - flowing together. Above are two snowflake crystals which tie in with the motto of the a city, central to British Columbia, through which the development of the north is taking place. In the base or point of the shield is the 'fraise'. This was intended as a pun pr play on the name of the founder, Simon Fraser. The same heraldic charge may be seen in the coats of arms of Simon Fraser University and in the District of Coquitlam for the same reason.

Blazon

Arms
Per fess wavy Azure and Or a fess wavy counterchanged of the field between in chief two snowflakes Argent and in base a fraise Azure;

Crest
A mural crown Or masoned Sable charged with a locomotive wheel Sable issuant therefrom a moose head affronty Or;

Supporters
Upon a mount Vert set with Common Red Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata) and dexter a lodgepole pine bough and sinister a white spruce bough both fructed all proper rising above barry wavy Argent and Azure charged with a salmon leaping also proper dexter a bald eagle the body proper winged per fess embattled Or and Azure ducally crowned Or sinister an osprey the body proper similarly winged and crowned;

Motto
SHAPING A NORTHERN DESTINY

Source: Canadian Heraldic Authority