New $2 coin with black ring will honour late Queen Elizabeth II
The Royal Canadian Mint is issuing a new $2 coin with a black ring in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The coin, dated 2022 and set to go into circulation later this month, will include the regular design elements of a $2 coin in addition to the black band, which is intended to symbolize a mourning armband.
The centre of the coins remains gold, with its silver outside replaced by black nickel. The late Queen’s image will be emblazoned as usual on one side, with the traditional polar bear design by Brent Townsend on the other.
The Queen died in September after 70 years on the throne. She was succeeded by her son, King Charles III.
“Queen Elizabeth II served as Canada’s head of state for seven decades, and for millions of Canadians, she was the only monarch they had ever known,” Marie Lemay, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint, said in a press release. “Our special $2 circulation coin offers Canadians a way to remember her.”
The Mint is creating nearly five million coins in an initial run, although more may be created if needed. They will begin entering the national coin distribution system Wednesday, and will appear to the public throughout the month as banks restock their $2 coin inventories.
In addition, the Mint will hold public coin exchanges in Ottawa and Winnipeg on Wednesday and Thursday.
Canadian coins have included the likeness of the reigning monarch since production started in 1908, a fact that led to speculation after the Queen’s death that the Mint would need to quickly produce new legal tender with King Charles III on them.
However, the current $20 bank note is set to circulate for years, and there is no requirement to change the design of coins within a specific period after a change in the monarchy. Coins featuring the likeness of King Charles III have already been released in the U.K., but it remains to be seen when Canadian circulation coins with the king’s face on them will hit our wallets.
New coins are often minted to honour specific people, historical events or groups, but many specialty coins are created in more limited runs.
Last month, the Mint created a commemorative circulation $1 coin for inventor Alexander Graham Bell, and in August, the Mint launched a new $1 circulation coin honouring the jazz legend Oscar Peterson, both limited to a run of three million coins.
Around one billion circulation coins are manufactured per year in the Mint’s facility in Winnipeg.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How more than 100 women realized they may have dated, been deceived by the same man
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.

Mother charged with sexual abuse of toddler in Edmonton area after FBI tip
A Strathcona County toddler has been rescued from suspected sexual exploitation, and the child's mother has been charged, police said.
LeBron James becomes NBA's all-time scoring leader, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
LeBron James is the NBA's new career scoring leader. With a stepback jump shot with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, James pushed his career total to 38,388 points on Tuesday night and broke the record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held for nearly four decades.
Biden in State of Union urges U.S. Congress: 'Finish the job'
U.S. President Joe Biden exhorted Congress Tuesday night to work with him to 'finish the job' of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address aimed at reassuring a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions.
Fears grow for untold numbers buried by Turkiye earthquake as deaths pass 7,700
Rescuers raced against time early Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble before they succumbed to cold weather two days after an earthquake tore through southern Turkiye and war-ravaged northern Syria. The death toll climbed above 7,700 and was expected to rise further.
Canadian military plane heads home after two surveillance flights over Haiti
A Canadian Armed Forces surveillance plane was heading home on Tuesday after two intelligence-collecting flights over Haiti.
On list of 50 'most Instagrammable' places, only 1 is in Canada
A new ranking by global travel site Big 7 Travel has revealed the most Instagrammable places for people to visit in 2023, but only one Canadian location, Banff, is among them.
Spy balloon part of a broader Chinese military surveillance operation, U.S. intel sources tell CNN
U.S. intelligence officials believe that the recently recovered Chinese spy balloon is part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, according to multiple American officials familiar with the intelligence.
From $55 to $130: Which Canadians plan to spend the most this Valentine's Day?
As Valentine's Day approaches, many Canadians are preparing to celebrate by taking their loved ones to dinner and buying them gifts, but how much are we spending on this day coast to coast?
W5 HIGHLIGHTS
W5 Investigates | Daniel Jolivet insists he's not a murderer and says he has proof
Convicted murderer Daniel Jolivet, in prison for the past 30 years, has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested. W5 reviews the evidence he painstakingly assembled while behind bars.

W5 Investigates | Lebanese-Canadian family of 3-year-old killed in Beirut blast still searching for accountability, answers
More than two years after downtown Beirut was levelled by an explosion, a Lebanese-Canadian family of a 3-year-old girl killed in the blast is still searching for answers.

W5 EXCLUSIVE | Interviewing a narco hitman: my journey into Mexico's cartel heartland
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels.

9 things to know about medical assistance in dying for mental illness
In Canada, Medical Assistance in Dying is changing. In 2023, people who have a mental disorder as their sole underlying medical condition will become eligible for an assisted death. Originally, that was scheduled to happen on March 17, but the government has asked for a delay. CTVNews.ca/W5 outlines 9 things you need to know about MAiD.
The mini investigations you never see, and why journalism matters
On CTVNews.ca/W5: Executive Producer Derek Miller highlights an example of a W5 mini investigation that never made it to air, but made a difference in someone's life nonetheless.
W5: The Informant | How avocados became 'green gold' to Mexican drug cartels, and a deeper dive into the Pivot Airlines saga
On CTVNews.ca/W5: Executive Producer Derek Miller highlights some of W5's upcoming investigations, including Mexico's multi-billion dollar avocado industry run by cartels, and a continuing look into the Pivot Airlines passengers and crew who were detained for months without charges in the Dominican Republic.
W5 EXCLUSIVE | Pivot Airlines crew back in Canada after being trapped in Dominican Republic since spring
The five-member Pivot Airlines crew, who had been detained in the Dominican Republic for almost eight months, is now back in Canada. An emotional airport reunion took place in a special pre-arrivals area of Toronto Pearson International Airport, as the two flight attendants, pilot, co-pilot and mechanic were greeted by family.
W5 EXCLUSIVE | W5 exposes the drug connections and money trail in the Pivot Airlines story
On CTVNews.ca, W5 exposes the suspicious company chartering a Pivot Airlines flight that ended up with 210 kilograms of cocaine onboard.