History of White Pine Council
White Pine Region was created on June 12, 1997 after a restructure of Scouting regions within the Provincial Council for Ontario thereby reducing the number of regions from seventeen to ten. Lakeridge Region and Quinte Region were amalagmated to create White Pine Region.
In September 2002, Scouts Canada introduced By-Law 2 a further restructuring of White Pine led to the creation of what is now White Pine Council.
In January of 2004, White Pine Council amalgamated administratively with it's neighbouring Voyageur Council under the Eastern Ontario Administrative Centre. The Councils continue to operate independantly, however share the administrative resources provided by the EOAC.
Symbolism of the Crest
Scouts Canada's Mission Statement [in 1997] emphasized the organization's dedication to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spritual potential. The White Pine [Regional] crest has several symbolic features depicting the various aspects of this holistic approach to youth development.
Physical - the strong lone White Pine growing on the rock symbolizes two things:
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Individuality - opting to choose the more challenging path of growing on the rock opposed to the natural choice of the grass.
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Strength and Perseverance - developing the strength and the iron will to make something happen. In this case, the ability to grow on the rock.
Intellectual - the water all around the White Pine symbolizes all of life's mysteries that constantly surround us. The calm water illustrates the intellectual sense that a Scout develops to solve these mysteries and keep the waters calm.
Spiritual - the setting sun depicts peace and tranquility. It symbolizes the inner peace and spiritual understanding that one can come to terms with through Scouting.
The colour scheme used in the design is a representation of all the Scouting sections - this symbolizes inclusiveness. Scouting is available to all those wishing to participate.
It may also be noted that the outdoor landscape represents one of Scouting's key learning resources as well as the fact that the majority of the Region is rich in natural resources.