Shippagan

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SHIPPAGAN

Province : New Brunswick

Official blazon

Arms : Azure a bar gemel wavy Argent, overall an anchor, in the dexter chief a mullet Or
Crest : A demi-mallard duck wings elevated and addorsed proper holding in its beak a scroll Argent bound Azure and rising from a bed of beech leaves proper
Supporters : Two Atlantic cod proper issuant from barry wavy Argent and Azure flanking a bog of sphagnum moss set with cloudberry plants proper
Motto : BÂTIR ENSEMBLE

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on August 15, 2019.

The ship’s anchor marks the importance of maritime industry in the city’s history, namely shipbuilding and commercial fishing. The anchor is also present in the crest of the arms of the Robichaud family association, one of the city’s founding families. The star is the Stella Maris, the Star of Mary, a symbol of the Acadian community. Its placement on the shield echoes that on the Acadian flag. The blue colour and the white wavy lines allude to the sea, with which Shippagan, as a coastal city, is intimately linked. Blue and yellow are also the colours of the University of Moncton, which has a campus situated in Shippagan.

The duck alludes to the city’s name, which is derived from the expression sepagun-chich, meaning “the place where the ducks pass” in the language of the Mi’kmaq people, who were the first inhabitants of the region. The diploma in the duck’s beak recognizes Shippagan’s status as a university town. The beech leaves refer to “La Hêtrière” (meaning “the beech wood” in French), one of the names given to the region of Shippagan by its first French inhabitants. The leaves are also present in the crest of the arms of the Duguay family association, one of the city’s founding families.

Atlantic cod is one of the most important fish species in commercial fishing off Canada’s East Coast. Cod fishing was one of the principal forces driving European immigration in these regions, and it remains central to Shippagan’s maritime industry. The cod is also present in the arms of the Mallet family association, one of the city’s founding families. The blue and white wavy lines represent water and the maritime location of the city. The bog and sphagnum moss are features of the local landscape around the city, and also honour the peat extraction industry, which has been historically important to the city’s development. The cloudberries are a local species and a characteristic feature of the landscape around the city.

The motto means “Building together,” this French phrase expresses a feeling of hope for the future.