Symbols

Commissioner of Yukon's Coat of Arms

The Commissioner's Coat of Arms shows the Yukon Coat of Arms surrounded by six gold maple leaves to denote the territory of Yukon. Two blossoms of fireweed sit atop the maple leaves. This Coat of Arms can be used on a flag or standard with a royal blue background. The standard can be used on an official vehicle or flown outside a building when the Commissioner is in attendance.

 

 

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The Yukon Coat of Arms

A red, blue, gold and white shield surmounted by a malamute (or husky) standing on a mound of snow.

Wavy vertical white and blue stripes represent the Yukon River and the gold-bearing creeks of the Klondike. Red spire-like forms represent the territory's mountains and the gold circles within symbolize mineral resources. At the top of the shield is a cross of St. George in recognition of the early English explorers and a "roundel in vair" as a symbol of the fur trade.

The Yukon's Coat of Arms was commissioned by the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and designed by well-known heraldry expert Alan Beddoe in the early 1950's. It was approved officially by Queen Elizabeth II in February 1956.

 

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The Yukon Flag

The Yukon flag is the product of a territory-wide design competition sponsored by the Whitehorse branch of the Royal Canadian Legion as part of Canada's 1967 centennial year celebrations.

There were 137 submissions. Lynn Lambert of Destruction Bay submitted several designs in hopes of winning the contest. One of his designs was officially accepted as the territorial flag in 1968.

The Yukon flag has three vertical panels: a green panel on the inner edge, a central panel of white and a blue panel on the outer edge. The Yukon Coat of Arms appears on the central panel framed by two stems of fireweed. The green symbolizes the forests, white signifies snow and the blue represents Yukon's rivers and lakes.

© 2010 Government of Yukon