in the 1995 Canadian federal budget speech. The RCM spent to canvass 2,000 Canadian households regarding which of the 10 theme options they preferred. Under the direction of Hieu C. Truong, the RCM engineering division designed the two-dollar coin to be made from two different metals. The metals for the bimetallic coin would be lighter and thinner than those produced anywhere in the world. To join the two parts, the engineering division selected a bimechanical locking mechanism. By the end of 1996, the Winnipeg facility had struck 375 million of these coins. The coin was officially launched at Ben's Deli in Montreal on February 19, 1996. The weight of the coin was originally specified as . The community of Campbellford, Ontario, home to the coin's designer, constructed an toonie monument, similar to the "Big Loonie" in Echo Bay and the Big Nickel in Sudbury. Unlike the loonie before it, the toonie and the $2 bill were not produced concurrently with each other, as the $2 bill was withdrawn from circulation on February 16, 1996, three days prior to the toonie's introduction. Commemorative editions Specimen set editions From 2010 to 2015, the Royal Canadian Mint issued a two-dollar coin that depicts a different and unique image of a young animal on the coin's reverse. These special toonies have limited mintages and are available only in the six-coin specimen sets. First strikes Separation of metals A failure in the bimetallic locking mechanism in the first batch of toonies caused some coins to separate if struck hard or frozen. Despite media reports of defective toonies, the RCM responded that the odds of a toonie falling apart were about one in 60 million. Deliberately attempting to separate a toonie is considered to be "defacing coin currency", a summary offence under section 456 of the Canadian Criminal Code. See also Newfoundland 2-dollar coin (antedating Canada's coin) References External links Jack Iyerak Anawak on Two-Dollar Coin - Hansard April 26th, 1996 1996 establishments in Canada Coins of Canada Bi-metallic coins Two-base-unit coins Bears in art Currencies introduced in 1996