Recognizing a Hero in Canada
From statesman to symbol of resilience: Canada’s $5 bill swaps Wilfrid Laurier for Terry Fox, honoring a legacy of courage and determination.
Right on the cusp of the world welcoming 2025, America's neighbor to the north, Canada, announced in its "2024 Fall Economic Statement" that the nation's $5 note will be redesigned to feature the image of Terry Fox, a contemporary Canadian hero. Fox's story is one that Canadians know well. According to the "Fall Economic Statement," his life is an inspiring example showing the "difference that an ordinary person could make through sheer willpower and determination."
Born in 1958 in Winnipeg, Fox was an athlete throughout his early life, actively participating in basketball and cross-country. However, during his time in college at Simon Fraser University, Fox was diagnosed with progressive cancer that required the amputation of his right leg.
When provided an artificial leg, Fox saw it as an opportunity to continue his passion for running, and by age twenty-one, he was completing marathons. Inspired by his own experience with cancer, Fox took on the mission to raise money for research in fighting and curing this disease through his talent for cross-country running. Known as the Marathon of Hope, Fox ran 42 kilometers, or 26 miles, a day across Canada, beginning in the farthest eastern province of Newfoundland.
Unfortunately, Fox did not complete his journey when he reached the halfway point in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The cancer had entered his lungs, and after a bout of treatments, he sadly lost his life at the young age of 22.
Despite not accomplishing his goal, Fox's marathon inspired a nation and garnered many donations, ultimately raising $24.17 million in 1981. His legacy in Canada is remembered in many ways, including the annual Terry Fox Runs worldwide to raise money for cancer research. Fox is also enshrined in a series of images that capture him mid-run during the Marathon of Hope; some showcase a determined look on the runner's face, while others capture the young man with a smile.
The current $5 blue and green polymer note features former Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier on the face. This design is from the "Frontier" series, which showcases designs honoring Canadian achievements through portraits of historically significant persons and illustrations of innovations made by the nation's citizens.
On the reverse is a depiction of astronauts at the International Space Station with Earth, particularly the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Gulf of St Lawrence, in the background, which honors Canada's contributions to space research. Fox's image will replace Laurier in a primarily blue-colored design with a vertical orientation.
Laurier's portrait will not disappear from Canadian bank notes. His image is planned to move to the $50 note, replacing the current design of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. Whether King's portrait would be utilized on another note or the release date for the revised $5 note featuring Fox was not announced.
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