NewsMoneyCanada

Glow-in-the-dark toonie celebrating Canadian landmark could end up in your wallet

Natalia Buia
Natalia Buia
|
Mar 26 2026, 5:22 pm
Glow-in-the-dark toonie celebrating Canadian landmark could end up in your wallet
Andrea Marquez/Shutterstock

The superstar of Toronto’s skyline, the CN Tower, is having its 50th birthday honoured with a special $2 coin — one that you can actually carry around in your wallet.

The Royal Canadian Mint will officially unveil the new circulation coin on the tower’s newly renovated Main Observation Level on March 31, just a few days shy of the CN Tower’s 50th anniversary of its April 2, 1975, opening.

This upcoming coin is described as coloured with a black and white image of the CN Tower layered over hash marks (thin raised lines) on the inner corner. On the outer corner, there will be two images of a maple leaf between two slanted lines, with different words superimposed over a “historical skyline” on the left of the ring.

Unlike some special-edition coins that cost a pretty penny above face value, this flashy new coin will be in circulation for everyday use, whether in your back pocket for the next time you buy a latte, to pay for parking, or to hit the laundry machine.

All that said, a glow-in-the-dark toonie might be too awesome to spend, and could prove a better fit for your personal collection.

A trip down memory lane

Building the CN Tower – the pièce de résistance of Toronto’s skyline – was no joke. According to the tower’s official website, 1,537 workers worked around the clock, five days a week, for over 40 months to bring the vertical wonder to life.

It first opened to the public on June 26, 1976, and now welcomes almost two million visitors from around the world every year.

Throughout pop culture, the CN Tower has been an iconic symbol of not just Toronto but Canadian culture as a whole, from appearing on Drake’s Views album cover to Grammy-nominated singer Alex Warren boldly taking on the EdgeWalk.

Like many aging icons, this one also got a bit of a makeover. Earlier this year, the tower received a $21-million upgrade, including a revamped Lower Observation Level that’s sleek, modern, and more accessible.

In celebrating its big 5-0, Prime Minister Carney called the CN Tower “a national icon, representing creativity, resilience and inclusivity,” a reminder of why this local landmark is so beloved.

The Royal Canadian Mint will unveil the new coin to the media at 2 p.m. on March 31.

So, if you get your hands on the new glow-in-the-dark CN Tower coin, will you spend it or save it?

ADVERTISEMENT