The first Canadian coins were minted in 1858 at the Royal Mint in London. A branch of this Mint was activated in Ottawa during January of 1908. During the Great Depression, Canada was able to negotiate its independence from the British Royal Mint and created the Royal Canadian Mint. By 1969 Canada reorganized it’s Mint as a Crown Corporation. As such, it no longer was considered a branch of the Department of Finance, but rather as a separate entity. Ten years later, the building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. In May of 2007, Canada’s Mint produced the world’s first , and only, 99.999% pure gold Maple Leaf bullion coin. Today, the Mint produces all of Canada’s circulation coins (up to two billion per year), as well as foreign coins for such countries as Singapore, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Yemen, Ireland, Jamaica, Bermuda, Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, etc. in addition, the Ottawa facility created the medals for the 1972 Montreal Summer Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. The President of the Mint is known as the “Master of the Mint.” This was an interesting place to visit, and it is easy to get to (less than a mile outside of the Central Business District and just beyond the U.S. Embassy).
It is an impressive looking building (somewhat reminiscent of National Guard armories back in the U.S.).