The blue surrounding the central gold region of this coat of arms represents Burnaby' situation between Burrard Inlet on the north and the Fraser River in the south. The use of gold as a field was chosen to represent the richness of the city in culture, heritage (and all those other things that cities brag about). The eagle symbolizes both the spirit of the community and its wildlife. Its wings are decorated with fountains (a circle with white and blue wavy lines, rather hard to see in this picture), symbolizing Deer Lake and Burnaby Lake.

The dominant colours of the crest, red and white, are the national colours of Canada and are also those featured in the 16th-century coat of arms of Robert Burnaby's ancestors. The mural crown is typical for municipal corporations, and is decorated with fraises (ie, strawberry flowers). The fraises are also the main element in the chiefly arms of the Fraser clan, of which Simon Fraser (who explored and named much of the area) was an illustrious member (a differenced version of the chief's arms are those of Simon Fraser University, named for the same explorer). The lion is taken directly from the Burnaby clan chief's arms, honouring the City's namesake. The lion upholds the city's flag.

The two deer (one buck and one doe) as supporters represent the natural heritage of the city. For difference (ie, to make them unique), they wear collars of red rhododendrons, the municipal flower. The motto (By River and Sea Rise Burnaby) is taken from the District Seal dating from 1892, the year of incorporation.

I have been told that, prior to the granting of these arms, the city of Burnaby used a bogus device featuring, you guessed it, a bee and a campfire. If anyone knows about this device, please DO NOT send me a picture- some things are better left unshown.

Data abridged from here, which was from
The Greater Vancouver Book