Made-in-Manitoba loonie to mark centenary of women's right to vote

A commemorative $1 coin marking the 100th anniversary of some women gaining the right to vote in Manitoba will be made in the Prairie province, which is celebrating the milestone this month.

The Royal Canadian Mint's Winnipeg manufacturing plant, which makes all Canadian circulation coins, will produce five million of the special loonies.

The loonies are expected to circulate "within a few months," a mint spokesperson said.

One side of the coin will feature an image of Queen Elizabeth II, while the other side will show a woman "proudly casting a ballot" in 1916 as a child looks on, a description of the coin states. No images of the coin design will be released until the coin is launched, the mint spokesperson said.

Manitoba was the first Canadian province to grant some women the right to vote when it amended the provincial Elections Act on Jan. 28, 1916. Aboriginal women were first allowed to vote in federal elections in 1960.

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To mark the occasion and commemorate the women's suffrage movement, the Archives of Manitoba and the provincial legislative library will host an open house with petitions, newspaper articles, correspondence and other original publications on display.

The open house will take place Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. in the Archives Research Room at 200 Vaughan St.

The original signed legislation will be on display at the Manitoba Legislative Building on Friday.

More artifacts from the suffrage campaign can be found at the Manitoba Museum, which is hosting an exhibit called Nice Women Don't Want the Vote until April 10.