Our amazing Royal Canadian Mint

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/02/2015 (4112 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last week I took a tour of the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg and was impressed by the more-than 27,000-square-metre facility.

The ‘Parade of Flags’ on the driveway leading into the Mint represents the 75 countries for which the facility has manufactured coins since it opened in 1976.

The Mint has 365 staff with approximately 200 to 250 of those working in the high-security area of the plant, where circulation coins are produced.

The only other coin-making facility in Canada is located in Ottawa, the original Mint, which opened in 1908.

The Ottawa facility produces numismatic (collector) coins while Winnipeg makes all of Canada’s circulation coins, such as nickels, dimes, quarters, loonies and toonies, as well as circulation coins for countries around the world. Ottawa can produce approximately 8,000 to 20,000 coins in a day whereas Winnipeg can produce up to 15 million coins per day with 26 coining presses keeping up with the demand.

On the tour I saw 30 tons of steel waiting to be put into production. Our circulation coins are 99.9 per cent steel and an electro-magnetic plating process uses combinations of copper, nickel and brass to produce the various colours in the coins. These coatings are about a 10th of the thickness of a piece of paper. The alternating metal layers produce a distinct electro-magnetic signature, and that is what our vending machines read.

As I looked down from high above the plant floor and watched coins coming out of the coining presses, I was reminded of watching a one-armed bandit gushing out coins into some lucky lady’s cup.

My final question for the tour guide was about security.

This facility has what I would consider ‘beyond airport’ security. Uniforms for staff who work in the high-security area are completely metal free with Velcro in place of metal zippers. Employees must leave through a metal detector at the end of their shifts and a wand scanner is also used. The only metal items employees are allowed are eyeglasses, steel-toed boots and their pass cards. These items also have to pass through a scanner so that nothing else will leave the building.

If you are considering a visit to the Mint, you may want to venture out on Feb. 27 or 28 when it will be holding a public coin exchange for the new $2 circulation coin commemorating Sir John A. Macdonald’s 200th birthday.

Simply trade in $2 worth of change for the new coin, up to a maximum of 5 coins for $10.

Rick Sparling is a community correspondent for North Kildonan. Email him at ricksparling@shaw.ca