Knight's Canadian Info Collection
Knight's Canadian Info Collection

PRESENTS

Canadian Paper Money

Canada's National Flag

Canada replaces old Paper Currency

The most significant development in Canadian currency was the withdrawal, in 1989 and 1996, respectively, of the $1 and $2 bills and their replacement with coins of new design.
The new $1 coin, first issued in 1987, is colloquially called the "loonie," for the loon on its reverse, and the name is frequently applied to the currency unit as well. It is made of nickel plated with "aureate bronze".

The $2 coin, carrying a polar bear, is called by analogy the "toonie" (also spelled "twonie", making the etymology clearer), and has two sections differing in colour.
Unlike several USA attempts to introduce a dollar coin, the new coins were quickly accepted by the public, owing largely to the fact that the mint and government made it a "cold turkey" switch, removing the $1 and $2 bills from circulation.

Beginning in 2001, the Bank of Canada introduced a new series of bills: the $10 was first issued on 17 January 2001; the new $5 on 27 March 2002; and the new $100, $20, and $50 bills during 2004 (in that order).
The new $100 bill was issued on 17 March 2004, the new $20 on 29 September 2004, and the new $50 on 17 November 2004.
Called "Canadian Journey", this series features elements of Canadian heritage and excerpts from Canadian literature.
The $20, $50, and $100 notes introduce watermark security features for the first time on Canadian currency; they also boast significantly expanded holographic security features.
A reprint of the $10 note with all these new security features began circulation in May, 2005.
All notes also include the EURion constellation, on both sides of the bill, thereby preventing it from being copied on most color copiers.

The new bills have a "tactile feature", for the blind, which is a series of raised dots in the upper right corner to indicate denomination.






The Canadian government has occasionally considered the possibility of eliminating the 1¢ coin from circulation, though as of early 2005 no serious discussion has been undertaken about dropping the coin.
Likewise, reports in the wake of the $2 coin's release that Ottawa was considering a $5 coin to replace the bill have yet to be realized. Many people thought such a coin should be called a "finnie" - a 'fin' being a popular name for a $5 bill.

Canadian Bills (Bank Notes)

All 1986 and 2001 series bills measure 152.4 mm by 69.85 mm (6 by 2¾ inches).

1986 ("Birds of Canada") series
Value Colour Obverse Reverse
$2‡ Terra cotta Queen Elizabeth II American robins
$5‡ Blue Wilfrid Laurier Belted kingfisher
$10‡ Purple John A. Macdonald Osprey
$20 Green Queen Elizabeth II Common loon
$50 Red William Lyon Mackenzie King Snowy owl
$100 Brown Robert Borden Canada goose
$1000‡ Reddish purple Queen Elizabeth II Pine grosbeak

‡ Withdrawn from circulation. Currency withdrawn from circulation is still legal tender. As of early 2005, the 1986-series $5 and $10 bills are still occasionally encountered, but they are rapidly disappearing from regular use. $1,000 bills are no longer printed, but are still used by banks and casinos occasionally.

2001 ("Canadian Journey" series)
Value Colour Obverse Reverse
$5 Blue Wilfrid Laurier Children playing hockey and other winter
sports; excerpt from "The Hockey Sweater"
by Roch Carrier
$10 Purple John A. Macdonald Peacekeeping forces and war memorial;
excerpt from "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae
$20 Green Queen Elizabeth II Artwork of Bill Reid; excerpt from
Gabrielle Roy's novel, The Hidden Mountain.
$50 Red William Lyon Mackenzie King The Famous Five and Thérèse Casgrain;
quotation from the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights
$100 Brown Robert Borden Maps of Canada, historic and modern;
excerpt from Miriam Waddington's poem,
"Jacques Cartier in Toronto"

Issuance of Canada's new Polymer Bank Notes - 2011 to 2013

The themes, designs, images and security features for the entire series of Canada's new polymer bank notes was unveiled on 20 June 2011. The Bank of Canada will gradually replace all paper bank notes with polymer bank notes. It began circulating new $100 polymer bank notes in November 2011, with a polymer $50 note to follow in March 2012. The remaining denominations ($20, $10 and $5 notes) will be unveiled and issued by the end of 2013.

The new bills are equipped with security features that make it very difficult to counterfeit, according to the Bank of Canada’s press release . A transparent maple leaf and a clear portion on the left side of the bill with holographs that change color in the light are designed to foil counterfeiters attempting to create fake notes.

$100 Note - Design Features:-

Portrait: Sir Robert L. Borden, Prime Minister, 1911–20
Signatures: Left – T. Macklem, Right – M.J. Carney
Size: 152.4 x 69.85 mm (6.0 x 2.75 inches)
Issue Date: November 2011

Theme: Medical Innovation - Canadians have long been at the frontiers of medical research and as a result have helped to save millions of lives worldwide. Notable Canadian contributions include pioneering the use of insulin to treat diabetes, DNA and genetic research, the invention of the pacemaker, and the first hospital-to-hospital robot-assisted surgery.

Researcher at a microscope - The image of a researcher using a microscope depicts Canada’s long-standing commitment to medical research.

DNA strand - Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic blueprint of life. Canadian researchers have been at the forefront of mapping our human genetic makeup in this field of medical science.

ECG - This electrocardiogram provides a visual cue to Canada’s contributions to heart health, including the invention of the pacemaker by John Hopps in 1950.

Insulin - The discovery of insulin to treat diabetes was made by Canadian researchers Frederick Banting and Charles Best in 1921.

$50 Note - Design Features:-

Portrait: William Lyon Mackenzie King, Prime Minister, 1921–30 and 1935–48
Signatures: Left – T. Macklem, Right – M.J. Carney
Size: 152.4 x 69.85 mm (6.0 x 2.75 inches)
Issue date: March 2012

Theme: CCGS Amundsen, Research Icebreaker - The vastness and splendour of Canada’s northern frontier have helped to shape our cultural identity. The icebreaker plays an important role in the North, keeping Canada’s historic passages open, undertaking marine search and rescue, supporting isolated communities, and participating in international environmental research. The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen became a research icebreaker in 2003. It is jointly operated by ArcticNet and the Canadian Coast Guard. It helps Canada - the nation with the world’s longest stretch of Arctic coastline - to remain at the leading edge of Arctic research, providing the world’s oceanographers, geologists and ecologists with unparalleled access to the North.

“Arctic” in Inuktitut - This syllabic text is taken from Inuktitut, a language of Canada’s Inuit population.

Map of Canada’s northern regions - The map on the back of this note shows Canada’s northern regions in their entirety, including Inuit regions of the Arctic. This image was provided by Natural Resources Canada.

As new bills are issued thay will be added to this page.

This page is part of Knight's Canadian Info Collection
Please visit our other pages

Site © by K.C.I.C. - A. Knight (Webmaster)