Emblems of Alberta

The original Coat of Arms was assigned by Royal Warrant in 1907. In 1980, it was augmented with a crest, supporters and a motto to create what is now known as the Alberta Coat of Arms. A minor revision was introduced in 2008 to replace the gentlemen's helmet with the royal helmet.

The crest has a royal crown on top of a beaver sitting on a helmet with a silver and red wreath. The supporters are a gold lion and a pronghorn antelope. The compartment, the base of the Coat of Arms, is a grassy mount with wild roses. The provincial motto, Fortis et Liber – strong and free – is under the base. Royal Warrant adopted the current Coat of Arms on July 30, 1980.

All requests to use the Coat of Arms must be authorized by the Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women.

In September 2013, the shield of the Coat of Arms was adopted as a separate official emblem known as the provincial shield. Topped by a red St. George's Cross on a white background, the provincial shield features blue skies over a range of snow-capped mountains with green hills, prairie land and a wheat field in front. The provincial shield remains as an element of two other emblems: the Coat of Arms and the flag of Alberta.

Download the files for the Provincial shield

Members of the public can use the provincial shield without restriction or permission, as long as the image is not altered.
 

Adopted on June 1, 1968, the flag shows the provincial shield of Alberta on a blue background. The flag is proportioned twice as long as it is high.

Download the files for the Alberta flag

The flag is available in both a full-colour format and black and white format.

Wild Rose, Rosa acicularis

The wild rose was designated the floral emblem of Alberta in 1930. It grows almost everywhere in the province, brightening the countryside with flashes of pink.

Download the Wild Rose files:

• Rose 1 files
• Rose 2 files
• Rose 3 files
• Rose 4 files
• Rose 5 files
• Rose 6 files

Rough Fescue, Festuca scabrella

Alberta has the largest area of rough fescue grassland in the world and is the only place in North America that hosts the plains, foothills and northern variations of rough fescue. Rough fescue provides excellent year-round forage for wildlife and livestock, and is a symbol of Alberta's prairie heritage and the need for the conservation of our rich biodiversity of native grasslands. It was designated the official grass of Alberta in 2003 due to the efforts of the Prairie Conservation Forum.

Download the files for Rough Fescue:

• Fescue files
• Fescue photo files

The colours of the Alberta tartan represent the green of our forests, the gold of our wheat fields, the blue of our clear skies and sparkling lakes, the pink of our wild rose, and the black of our coal and petroleum. The tartan was designed by the Edmonton Rehabilitation Society for the Handicapped, now Goodwill Industries of Alberta. It was adopted as the official tartan of Alberta in 1961.

Download the files for the Alberta Tartan

The Alberta dress tartan complements the Alberta tartan and is worn for dancing, special occasions and formal attire. It includes the same colours as the Alberta tartan and adds large sections of white, a symbol of Alberta's bright snowy days. It was adopted as the official dress tartan in 2000.

Download the files for the Alberta Dress Tartan

Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus

On May 3, 1977, the great horned owl was adopted as Alberta's official bird after a provincewide children's vote. The great horned owl is a year-round resident of the province.

Download the files for the Great Horned Owl:

• Owl 1 files
• Owl 2 files
• Owl 3 files

Ammolite

In April 2022, ammolite was designated the official gemstone of Alberta. Found almost exclusively in southern Alberta, ammolite is derived from the fossilized shells of ammonites, Cretaceous Period molluscs. After sinking to the bottom of an inland sea, layers of sediment that covered the molluscs hardened over millions of years. The shell properties, combined with southern Alberta’s unique geology, transformed many ammonite shells into the iridescent gemstone ammolite.

Download the full-size ammolite image

Images © Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

Petrified wood

Commonly found in gravel pits throughout Alberta, petrified wood is the result of the deposit of microcrystalline quartz in the pores and cells of the fallen trees of the Cretaceous and Paleocene times, 60 – 90 million years ago. Petrified wood became Alberta's official stone in 1977.

Download the files for petrified wood:

• Wood 1 files
• Wood 2 files
• Wood 3 files
• Wood 4 files

Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta variety latifolia

In the early 1900s, lodgepole pine was primarily used to make railway ties. Today it plays a major role in Alberta's forest industry and is manufactured into poles, posts, pulp, plywood, mine timbers and other products. It was adopted as the official tree of Alberta on May 30, 1984.

Download the files for lodgepole pine:

• Pine 1 files
• Pine 2 files
• Pine 3 files
• Pine 4 files
• Pine 5 files

Alberta blue and gold are the official colours and were adopted in 1984. The blue represents the sky, and the gold/deep yellow represents the prairies.

Table 1. Colour values

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Ovis canadensis

On August 18, 1989, the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep was designated the official mammal of Alberta. The bighorn is a native Alberta mammal. Prehistoric remains have been found in most of the river valleys across Alberta, showing that some of the largest herds of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep once roamed the province. Today the bighorn is primarily found in the Rocky Mountain region.

Download the files for the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep:

• Sheep 1 files
• Sheep 2 files
• Sheep 3 files

Bull Trout, Salvelinus confluentus

Adopted as the official fish of Alberta on May 2, 1995, the bull trout is one of 8 species of trout found in the province's glacial waters. To ensure Alberta's population of bull trout never becomes endangered, there is a catch and release policy governing all bull trout fishing in the province.

Download the files for the bull trout:

• Trout files
• Trout photo files

Alberta

In addition to the designated official emblems, Alberta also has a provincial song titled “Alberta” that was adopted in September 2004. It pays musical tribute to the province's geography, industry, history and cultural diversity. Alberta, composed by Mary Kieftenbeld, was part of a contest to find an original, official song for the province's centennial celebrations in 2005.

Download the files for the Alberta song sheet music:

• Choir and Concert Band with Rhythm Combo
• Jazz Ensemble [level 2 - 3]
• Concert Piano Solo
• Concert Band [level 1 - 2]
• Concert Band [level 3 - 4]
• Marching Band [level 1 - 2]
• Instrumental Solo with Piano/Guitar Accompaniment
• Vocal Ensemble Advanced
• Vocal Soprano/Alto/optional Baritone
• Vocal Ensemble Professional
• Vocal Solo with Piano/Guitar Accompaniment

Franco-Albertan flag

English and French are the official languages of Canada. The Francophonie, itself very culturally diverse, is a part of Alberta’s past, present and future. The Franco-Albertan flag, created in 1982, is blue, white and rose, with the fleur-de-lis symbolizing the Francophonie. The stylized wild rose and the blue representing Alberta, and the two oblique blue and white bands that traverse the flag representing the waterways and routes used by the explorers and early settlers.

Download the files for the Franco-Albertan flag