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Bob's choice for a national bird

It may surprise many people, but the Canada goose is not Canada's national bird. In fact, while each Canadian province and territory has an official bird (Ontario's being the common loon), Canada does not.

It may surprise many people, but the Canada goose is not Canada's national bird.

In fact, while each Canadian province and territory has an official bird (Ontario's being the common loon), Canada does not.

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, with its National Bird Project, wants to change that.

The group is asking Canadians to vote online and have an official national bird designated by 2017 (Canada's 150th birthday year).

Currently, the website's leader board shows the Canada goose trailing the snowy owl and the common loon in popularity.

It is well known in our area an image of the common loon, designed by Echo Bay artist Robert-Ralph Carmichael, is portrayed on the Canadian dollar coin, known affectionately as the loonie.  

"My vote of course would be the loon," Carmichael chuckled, speaking to SooToday.

Carmichael said he, like many others, did not realize Canada did not have a national bird.

"Yes I was surprised, I wasn't conscious of which bird it would be, but I was surprised."

Carmichael said his preference for the loon to be designated as our national bird goes beyond his own artistic affiliation with it.

"It's got such a haunting sound and it's such a beautiful bird on the water," Carmichael said.

"It's right across the country in one form or another, it seems like a natural."

"I think the loon really appreciates it's own space, it's a hard one to get close to and it's got a loner, haunting quality about it, but it's very aggressive if you try and step into it's territory, and I think those are Canadian qualities."

Carmichael's association with the loonie goes back to 1986.

"When I first started with the loon, I was submitting a design for national unity and I used an arctic loon at that point with the tundra in the background."

The master dies for the original choice for the dollar coin, with a voyageur theme, were lost in transit from the Royal Canadian Mint's headquarters in Ottawa to its manufacturing facility in Winnipeg.

"They had to find a new one...Michelle Menard, who was in charge of collectors coins at the Mint, suggested my arctic loon and asked if I would change it to a common loon and that's the way it happened."

Carmichael's design was approved and the dollar coin went into circulation June 30, 1987.

"It was a mind-blower, really, to finally get a coin minted (displaying his work) and to have a circulating coin, something as prominent as a dollar, that was big," Carmichael said."

The artist said, more than 27 years later, it's still gratifying to see his work on the dollar coin.

"I enjoy seeing it, when you see it on television (even when the dollar is going down in value, he laughed), you see the image so bright and clear on the TV sets, it's really quite satisfying."

Carmichael said he also still enjoys pointing out his initials which are seen on the coin.

Carmichael, now in his 70s, still paints, with Roses Art Gallery in Sault Ste. Marie as the best local source to find his work for sale. 

"I don' t paint as many or as fast as I used to, but I'm still plugging away at it and enjoying it very much."

Carmichael's work can be seen on several Canadian collectors coins.

A monument to his Canadian dollar coin artwork stands in Echo Bay.

(FILE PHOTO: Canadian one-dollar coin, which depicts artwork of a loon created by Robert-Ralph Carmichael in 1987. Kenneth Armstrong/SooToday)


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Darren Taylor

About the Author: Darren Taylor

Darren Taylor is a news reporter and photographer in Sault Ste Marie. He regularly covers community events, political announcements and numerous board meetings. With a background in broadcast journalism, Darren has worked in the media since 1996.
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