Loonie the banknote forced acceptance of the coin. The loonie has subsequently gained iconic status within Canada, and is now regarded as a national symbol. The term "loonie" has since become synonymous with the Canadian dollar itself. The town of Echo Bay, Ontario, home of Robert-Ralph Carmichael, erected a large loonie monument in his honour in 1992 along the highway, similar to Sudbury's 'Big Nickel'. Officials for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics invited the National Hockey League's ice making consultant, Dan Craig, to oversee the city's E Center arena, where the ice hockey tournament was being held. Craig invited a
Voyageur dollar circulating dollar coin. To encourage circulation, the size was to be reduced, the colour was to be changed, and the one-dollar note eliminated from circulation. The Voyageur design was to be used. However, a set of dies depicting the design was lost in transit. To eliminate the risk of counterfeiting, an alternate design, featuring a loon, was used. This became known as the loonie. In 2003, in special proof sets honouring the fiftieth anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the Voyageur design was struck again in sterling silver in a limited edition of 30,000. In 2017, the Royal