Whistler shows off their new coat of arms

The tony resort town of Whistler is joining the ranks of more than 60 British Columbia municipalities that have been granted a coat of arms.

Granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, the Resort Municipality of Whistler unveiled its new symbol at the March 15 council meeting.

“Whistler’s new coat of arms is true to Whistler’s environment, ethos, history, heritage and community. The coat of arms is a very meaningful visual description of Whistler and its completion celebrates Whistler’s cultural coming of age, coinciding with the achievement of many other cultural milestones in the community, including phase I of the Cultural Connector and the opening of the Audain Art Museum,” said Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden in a statement.

A coat of arms is a unique shield, which typically includes local plants and animals, distinguishing shapes, relevant colours, traditional symbols, and a motto, and is used for official purposes by the mayor.

Whistler’s new coat of arms includes a shield with two peaks that refer to Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. It features wavy stripes symbolizing ski or snowboard tracks as well as biking and hiking trails. The shield is divided to show Whistler’s distinct summer and winter seasons.

The coat of arms also includes a whiskey jack, a black bear and a whistling marmot, which are both holding traditional pioneer’s skis. The water at the base refers to the local streams and lakes and the trout refers to Whistler’s beginnings as a fishing resort. A lupine flower is included and the colours white, green and blue represent snow, the valley and water. At the base are valley plants: skunk cabbage and bunchberries. The dogwood flower is a reference to the Province of British Columbia.

The motto “Valley of Dreams” refers to Whistler’s longstanding dream to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and that Whistler is a place people move to live the life they have dreamed of.