The first coat of arms of Montreal was designed by Jacques Viger, the first mayor of Montreal, and adopted in 1833 by the city councillors. Modifications were made some one hundred five years later and adopted on 21 March 1938, and again on 13 September 2017, resulting in the version currently in use. The coat of arms was the only city emblem representing Montreal until 1981, when a stylized logo was developed for common daily use, reserving the coat of arms for ceremonial occasions. The motto on the scroll below the shield is Concordia Salus, a Latin phrase translated as "salvation through harmony"
Blazon of the arms
The Canadian Heraldic Authority granted the current version of the coat of arms in September 2017. The blazon of the arms is as follows:
:Argent on a cross nowy Gules a white pine tree eradicated Or between in the first quarter a fleur-de-lis Azure, in the second quarter a rose, in the third quarter a thistle and in the fourth quarter a shamrock all proper; and for the crest, a beaver couchant on a log proper; the same surrounded by a spray of maple leaves Vert, with the motto CONCORDIA SALUS.
thumb|200px|right|2008 proposed logo for Greater Montreal, quickly abandoned
Greater Montreal attempted to unify the City of Montreal with the other eighty-one surrounding municipalities under one logo in 2006. The logo that was introduced consisted of a stylized 'M' meant to look, as the design firm put it, "deliberately chubby, very welcoming, like a comfy chair." However, the logo received much negative criticism for its "patchwork of hot pink, tangerine, rhubarb, turquoise and green apple",
See also
- Canadian heraldry
- List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols
- National symbols of Canada