1 dollar
Striking in its Solitude – the 1‑dollar Coin, familiarly known as the 'loonie'
The 1-dollar circulation coin was introduced in 1987 as a cost-saving measure to replace the one-dollar bill. The coin was instantly dubbed the 'loonie' after the solitary loon that graces the coin's reverse side. The nickname caught on and Canadians have been using it ever since. The loon design was created by noted wildlife artist Robert-Ralph Carmichael.
Over 1 billion circulation coins are minted each year at our high-tech plant in Winnipeg. We not only produce all of Canada’s circulation coins, we also manage the national coin supply – from weekly forecasting, to production, to recycling and eventual retirement.