Canada Could Be Getting A Colourful New Toonie & It Has A 'Bold New Look'
Your change could soon look pretty different. 👀
Canadian coins.
The change in your pocket might look a little different in the coming months, thanks to a new Canadian toonie with a "a bold new look."
On December 5, the Royal Canadian Mint teased a new $2 circulation coin that the institution says will "honour Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," who died in September of this year.
While the Mint did not provide details on what the coin would look like, it did say that "innovative technology" had been used to create a new take on the traditional Canadian toonie.
Online, a Government of Canada order in council shows that a coloured $2 circulation coin was authorized by officials on November 25, 2022.
The document says the new coin features an effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II, with a black outer ring and the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II" and "D·G·REGINA," as well as "2022."
The reverse side of the coin is set to feature "a polar bear standing at the edge of an ice floe surrounded by water and other ice floes." The initials BT on one ice floe will reflect the artist's name.
The order in council says there will also be "two virtual images of a maple leaf between two slanted lines, and at the bottom of the black outer ring, two security marks consisting of a maple leaf within a maple leaf, each within a circle [...]"
Those with an interest in coins will likely have to wait at least another day to get a glimpse of the new toonie, with the piece set to get its debut at Mint boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg this week.
On December 6 and 7, the Royal Canadian Mint will hold two public coin exchanges where Canadians will be able to get their hands on the $2 coin.
It's not yet clear how many of the toonies will be produced in total and exactly when (if at all) they will enter general circulation.
Following the queen's death in September, the Mint said that it would be working alongside the government to "transition to a new obverse for all Canadian coins" and comply with "royal succession protocols."
Since then, two new circulation coins – a colourful coin depicting Alexander Graham Bell and a toonie commemorating an iconic Canadian hockey victory – have continued to feature the queen's traditional portrait on one side.
If the new commemorative coin does enter general circulation in Canada, it would be the fourth new piece to do so in 2022.
The first of the year came in August, with a new purple loonie honouring jazz pianist Oscar Peterson.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.