The Royal Canadian Mint has released a toonie with a black outer ring to honour Queen Elizabeth II’s service to Canada for 70 years. .“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,” said Royal Canadian Mint President and CEO Marie Lemay in a Wednesday press release. .“Our special $2 circulation coin offers Canadians a way to remember her.”.The release said the toonies will be dated 2022 and bear all of the design elements of the standard coin. It said the coin is distinguished by its black outer ring reminiscent of a mourning armband, echoing the loss felt by millions of Canadians upon the Queen’s passing. .The coin will begin circulating later in December. It will feature the traditional polar bear design on the core of the reverse and the effigy of the Queen on the obverse. .While the metal composition of the coin remains unchanged, the outer ring is black. The release said about five million coins will enter the national coin distribution system in December and will begin appearing as banks restock their toonie inventories. .It said additional volumes may be produced depending on marketplace needs. The mint will host public coin exchanges at its Ottawa and Winnipeg boutiques on Wednesday and Thursday. .The Royal Canadian Mint said in September the Canadian government has exclusive jurisdiction over the design of coins. .READ MORE: What does the passing of Queen Elizabeth II mean for Canada?."As the Mint’s role is limited to manufacturing and distributing Canada’s circulation coinage, the mint will abide by the decision and timetable of the government on changing the obverse (heads) design of our coins," it said. .It said it is important to note the legal tender status of existing circulation coins does not change because Canada’s monarch does.
