when was the 2 dollar bill discontinued in canada
February 18, 1996
title: Withdrawn Canadian banknotes text: Hill from across the Ottawa River, with log driving activities taking place on the water. Printing of the $2 note ceased on February 18, 1996, with initial release of the toonie, a coin that replaced it. These notes are virtually never seen in circulation today. The most recent banknote series that included the two-dollar note was the Birds of Canada series in 1986, in which this note was a terra cotta colour. The face featured a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II; the back featured a meadow scene with two robins. Prior to the withdrawal of the $1 note, the $2 title: Banknotes of the Canadian dollar text: from circulation five months later. Some of the most significant recent developments in Canadian currency were the withdrawal of the $1, $2, and $1,000 notes in 1989, 1996, and 2000 respectively. The $1 and $2 denominations have been replaced with coins, colloquially referred to as the "loonie" and "toonie" respectively. In 2000, the $1,000 note was removed at the request of the Solicitor General of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as it was reported that they were largely being used for money laundering and organized crime. The Bank of Canada was created in 1934 and given responsibility, through title: Coins of the Canadian dollar text: quickly accepted by the public, owing largely to the fact that the Bank of Canada and the government forced the switch by removing the $1 and $2 bills from circulation. Between 1997 and 2001, the $1 loon coin was not issued for general circulation. Due to the high demand for the $2 polar bear coin (mintages between 1997 and 2001 were as high as 29 million in 2000 alone), the $1 coin was only produced for the standard collector sets that were made available on an annual basis, such as the Uncirculated, O Canada, Specimen and Proof sets. On March title: Birds of Canada (banknotes) text: was the basis of the portrait, which was engraved by Henry S. Doubtfire of De La Rue. Adjacent to the portrait is a vignette of the Parliament buildings. The reverse of the terra cotta banknote features American robins. This note would be the last Canadian $2 banknote, as the government announced during the 1995 Canadian federal budget speech that it would be withdrawn from circulation. It was withdrawn on 16 February 1996 and was replaced by a $2 coin, colloquially referred to as the toonie. One of five known $2 banknotes with a serial number containing the prefix sequence "AUH" title: Toonie text: date on the obverse. The coin is manufactured using a patented distinctive bimetallic coin-locking mechanism. The coins are estimated to last 20 years. The discontinued two-dollar bill was less expensive to manufacture, but lasted only one year on average. On April 10, 2012, the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) announced design changes to the loonie and toonie, which include new security features. Prior to 2012, the coin consisted of an aluminum bronze inner core with a pure nickel outer ring; but in spring 2012, the composition of the inner core switched to aluminum bronze coated with multiply-plated brass, and the outer