Custom Canadian Challenge Coins

Celebrating the Provinces and People of Canada

Custom coins are used all around the world to build team unity, improve morale, and align groups of individuals in support of a common goal. Whether issued to members of the armed forces, law enforcement officials, sports teams, or corporate employees, these special keepsakes are valued and highly prized by the people who carry them. Custom Canadian coins can draw inspiration from any of the 10 Provinces.

For over 26 years, Signature Coins has created custom challenge coins for nations around the globe. World challenge coins personify values like integrity and commitment. Each coin is a symbol of patriotic pride, of team spirit, and of honor. When created in honor of the great nation of Canada, the coins also represent a sense of inclusion, belonging, and unparalleled hospitality.

Civic Pride on a Smaller Level

Canadian coins celebrating the provinces and territories take a bigger, more holistic look at the country. Celebrating the large sections of land that make up the nation carries its own elements of pride. For a more personal touch, someone creating Canada challenge coins might look to the cities that have shaped the nation. Civic pride is a layered and complex thing, and by celebrating specific Canadian cities, you create a more specific bond with the citizens who earn the challenge coins.

Canadian Armed Forces challenge coins are created for members of each branch of the Canadian military:

• The Canadian Army
• The Royal Canadian Navy
• The Royal Canadian Air Force

Deployments and joint operations get their own coins too. A CAF unit posted abroad often marks the rotation with a coin carrying the mission name in both official languages — an Indo-Pacific engagement coin reading Engagement Indo-Pacifique around the rim, for instance — so the coin records where the unit served as well as who it served with. See more of these on our international challenge coins page.

Customers who contact us to create their custom challenge coins receive a response with free artwork and a price quote for the project in no more than 48 hours from the submission of the request.

Challenge Coins for the Canada Border Services Agency

The Canada Border Services Agency runs the ports of entry, land crossings, and inland offices that connect Canada to the rest of the world, and CBSA challenge coins have become one of the most requested designs we make north of the border. Most start from the agency crest — the crown, the maple leaves, and the Protectio, Servitium, Integritas motto — then name the command around the rim.

CBSA coins we’ve produced cover a wide range of the agency’s work:

• Regional coins for the Pacific Region and its districts
• Port of entry coins naming a specific crossing and its POE number
• Anniversary coins marking a crossing’s founding year, from Customs and Douanes through to the present agency
• Unit coins for use-of-force, detector dog, and enforcement teams
• Presentation coins for officers transferring in, promoting, or retiring out

Border work is shift work in weather most people avoid, and a coin handed over at the end of a posting says more than a certificate does. Superintendents and chiefs order them for their own districts, and officers collect coins from every crossing they’ve worked.

Canadian Challenge Coins for First Responders

Taking their cues from military challenge coins, first responder challenge coins exist to celebrate the people who put their lives on the line for their community. Police and firefighter challenge coins have been used to celebrate promotions, transfers to new units, retirements, and countless moments of exceptional service. No city could operate without its heroic first responders, and yet it’s often a thankless position to have. The easiest way around that is to employ challenge coins as a way to say thank you.

Any law enforcement agency in Canada is free to partner with Signature Coins in the creation and delivery of custom Canada challenge coins, including:

• The Ontario Provincial Police
• The York Regional Police
• The British Columbia Sheriff Service
• The Toronto Transit Commission Transit Enforcement Unit
• The Alberta Sheriffs Branch
• The North Bay Police Service
• The Halifax Regional Police
• The Canadian National Police Service
• Parks Canada Park Wardens
• First Nations Police

History of the Canadian Police

First formed in 1920, the federal and national police service of Canada drew its roots from two earlier Canadian police organizations — the Royal Northwest Mounted Police and the Dominion Police. These organizations were among the first policing agencies in Canada, and many of the current symbols and iconic uniform elements have origins from these predecessors. They were charged with patrolling large swathes of newly gained territory and maintaining law and order within Canada’s borders. During its early days, the Royal Northwest Mounted Police used horses for mobility while patrolling the Canadian wilderness.

Between 1932 and 1938, the organization grew from a force of just over 1,000 men to 2,350 members overseeing most of Canada, including Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Today, the force numbers 28,000 members providing essential law enforcement protection to almost the entirety of Canada. Despite the name, the RCMP is no longer a horse-mounted division and functions much the same as most modern police organizations — but takes on a much wider breadth of responsibilities and duties than most of their counterparts in the U.S. or around the world.

To cover all of Canada and provide localized law enforcement to the country, the RCMP is organized under multiple divisions covering specific geographical areas:

• The National Division — Ottawa, Ontario, and Gatineau
• The B Division — Newfoundland and Labrador
• The C Division — certain areas of Quebec
• The D Division — Manitoba
• The E Division — British Columbia
• The F Division — Saskatchewan
• The G Division — the Northwest Territories
• The H Division — Nova Scotia
• The J Division — New Brunswick
• The K Division — Alberta
• The L Division — Prince Edward Island
• The M Division — Yukon
• The O Division — Ontario
• The V Division — Nunavut Territory

Under these divisions, most Canadians work with local detachments located in major population centers.

Challenge Coins for Canadian Police Leadership

The challenge coin tradition was adopted from U.S. militaries, where they are commonly found in virtually every military and law enforcement organization. Unique challenge coins representing specific units or law enforcement teams are common, but one of the most prized types is known as the “commander coin.” These special coins are commissioned by commanding officers and department chiefs to be given out to specific individuals who have personally earned respect or performed a great service.

Like their counterparts in the U.S., local departments or units within the Canadian Police commission unique challenge coins to represent their organization and recognize outstanding officers. Some coins are given to officers who go beyond the call of duty, others are devised as unit tokens for an entire group or team, and the organization also commissions challenge coins to commemorate events such as anniversaries or local holidays.

These coins are unique in that they most often feature unofficial emblems, mottos, and mascots that are not part of the official regalia. All coins depicting official RCMP emblems and seals must first be approved by the RCMP Foundation. (No endorsement is stated or implied.)

• The Commissioner — Overall leader and commander of the organization
• The Deputy Commissioner of Federal Policing — In charge of Federal and International Operations involving the force itself, as well as Protective Policing and National Security Crime Investigations
• The Deputy Commissioner of Contract and Aboriginal Policing — In control of the Criminal Intelligence Directorate
• The Deputy Commissioner of Specialized Policing Services — In charge of specialized police programs including the Canadian Firearms Program, Canadian Police Academy, and Technical Operations

Other ranks below the overall leadership may also maintain their own challenge coins to honor the members who serve under them, including:

• Assistant Commissioners
• Chief Superintendents
• Inspectors
• The Corps Sergeant Major
• Sergeant Majors
• Staff Sergeant Majors
• Staff Sergeants

From May to July of 2016, a wildfire raged in Alberta, Canada. While the blaze did a record amount of damage and displaced a number of citizens, the outcome could have been far worse without the intervention of Canadian firefighters and soldiers. When the people needed help, agencies such as the Canadian Armed Forces and provincial agencies banded together to render aid and keep the situation under control. Everyone working during the blaze earned their right to custom Canadian challenge coins.

Canadian firefighting agencies making use of custom challenge coins include:

• Toronto Fire Services
• Service de sécurité incendie de l’agglomération de Longueuil
• Canadian Forces Fire and Emergency Services
• The Ontario Fire College
• Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services
• Service de protection contre les incendies de Québec
• Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service
• Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services

Celebrating your valued first responders is as simple as giving us a call and letting our artists know what sorts of designs you’d like to use on your custom Canada challenge coins. If you’re not the most artistic, don’t worry — the team at Signature Coins has created challenge coins from nothing more than explanations and rough sketches on napkins. If you can dream it, we’re certain we can create it.

Canadian Corporate and Cross-Border Coins

Not every Canadian coin belongs to an agency. Companies operating on both sides of the border use them the same way a unit does — to mark a milestone, thank a crew, or put something in a client’s hand that a business card can’t match. Cross-border designs usually pair the two flags, and internal recognition coins build on the values a company actually names: craftsmanship, leadership, relationship.

Corporate Canadian coins commonly mark:

• Anniversaries and company milestones
• Safety records and incident-free hours
• Employee recognition and years of service
• Trade shows, client gifts, and partnership launches

Signature Coins Spans From Sea to Sea

Signature Coins has been making custom challenge coins for over 26 years. We strive to be the best in quality and customer satisfaction in the entire challenge coin industry. We do this by offering competitive pricing, using the best available materials, and training a friendly staff that can help you through the whole process. You can also expect to receive:

• Free artwork on every order
• Free quotes on every order
• Free unlimited revisions on design
• 100% satisfaction guarantee

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out. We’d be happy to assist you. Thank you for choosing Signature Coins — we look forward to working with you.