Ron McLester addresses heraldry symposium

Posted on Thursday, May 31st, 2018

Algonquin's Coat of Arms

Ron McLester, Executive Director of Truth, Reconciliation and Indigenization, introduced Algonquin’s Coat of Arms to an international audience on Thursday.

McLester was one of several speakers to address the Honours and Heraldry Symposium at Rideau Hall, where scholars and researchers from around the world gathered to discuss Indigenous emblems. Speaking on the topic of “Emblems for Storytelling,” McLester spoke about Algonquin’s own journey to create a coat of arms.

“I was honoured to take part in this symposium and share our Coat of Arms with everyone,” said McLester. “The feedback I heard was so positive and there was a genuine interest in how we had incorporated Indigenous culture and emblems into our design.”

Algonquin applied to the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 2015 for a grant of a coat of arms, flags and a badge as a legacy project to mark the College’s 50th anniversary. The Coat of Arms was carefully designed over a two-year period in consultation with the Canadian Heraldic Authority, part of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, and was unveiled almost one year ago.

Dr. Samy Khalid, one of the Symposium’s organizers and the lead in the creative process that lead to Algonquin College’s new emblems, said that “it was a great pleasure to have Mr. McLester participate in the Symposium and speak on the value of emblems as tools for storytelling.”

Listen to a CBC story about the unveiling of our Coat of Arms here.


Comments

Comments are closed.