What is the toonie and when was it introduced?

The toonie is the Canadian two-dollar coin, introduced by the Royal Canadian Mint on February 19, 1996 to replace the two-dollar bank note. Its design pairs a polar bear on the reverse, by wildlife artist Brent Townsend of Wildlife Habitat Canada, with the reigning sovereign on the obverse. The name toonie is a portmanteau of 'two' and 'loonie' and came into popular use within weeks of the coin's release.

The toonie is bimetallic: an outer ring of nickel and an inner core of aluminum-bronze, joined by interference-fit at high pressure. The design deliberately uses different colours for the two parts, helping to distinguish the coin by sight as well as by feel. The coin weighs 7.30 grams and measures 28 millimetres across. The Bank of Canada removed the two-dollar bank note from circulation by the end of 1996, completing the loonie-and-toonie pair.

Early production faced two technical issues. Some toonies from the first batch could be popped apart by squeezing the coin in a vise, prompting the Mint to tighten the interference fit. A small number of 1996 toonies featuring well-formed but missing details became collector items called 'No 2's. By 1998 the production process had been refined and the coin entered routine circulation alongside the loonie.

Commemorative toonies have marked national events including the 2002 Royal Visit, the 2008 Quebec City 400th anniversary, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the 2017 sesquicentennial of Confederation, the 2019 D-Day 75th anniversary, the 2020 centennial of the Royal Canadian Navy, and the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Memorial. The polar bear toonie is also one of the most popular Canadian collectibles among international visitors.