The Royal Canadian Mint’s Winnipeg boutique reopened its doors on July 6 after a nearly four-month closure due to COVID-19.
The closure, which began on March 14, was made in line with the federal government’s guidance on reducing the risk of transmitting COVID-19. Tours of the Winnipeg facility, where the boutique is located, will resume on July 13.
All guests who wish to take a tour must first book a reservation at 1-204-984-1144. Before visiting, guests are also asked to complete Manitoba’s COVID-19 online screening tool at sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool.
Established in 1976, the 14,864-square-metre Winnipeg facility produces all of Canada’s circulation coins.
OTTAWA BOUTIQUE
Another boutique located at the Mint’s Ottawa facility remains closed to visitors.
“Our configuration isn’t the same as Winnipeg because we have a relatively small lobby to pass through on the way into the Ottawa boutique, unlike Winnipeg, where the boutique is right by the front door and can de physically separated from the rest of the building,” Alex Reeves, senior manager of public affairs, told CCN.
Just around the corner from Parliament Hill, the Ottawa facility is home to the Crown corporation’s headquarters. It first opened for business on Jan. 2, 1908, when Governor-General Albert Grey activated the press at what was then the Ottawa branch of the United Kingdom’s Royal Mint.
“As the King’s representative, I formally declare the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint open,” said Grey, Canada’s ninth Governor General since Confederation, as he struck Canada’s first domestically produced coin—a half-dollar.
All of Canada’s numismatic coins, gold bullion coins, medals and medallions, as well as the master tooling to create the dies that strike coin designs for both circulation and commemorative issues, are produced in Ottawa.