2016-02-20 Sat

After being first introduced on 19th February, 1996 by Public Works minister Diane Marleau, the two dollar Canadian coin celebrated its 20th anniversary on Friday.

The latest toonie features the image of a polar bear on one side, and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the other. Unlike toonies which lasted for almost 20 years, even though the two-dollar bill was cheaper to manufacture, each bill lasted on average only for one year. The introduction of the toonie followed the successful introduction of the $1 “loonie” coin in 1987.