Terry Fox’s hometown hopes to make Canadian icon the face of the $5 bill

Would you like to see Terry Fox on the Canadian $5 bill?

Supporters, including Fox’s hometown city Port Coquitlam, B.C., are mounting a campaign to have the Marathon of Hope runner be the next face of the “fin,” as the Bank of Canada prepares to redesign the banknote.

Fox, a cancer patient and amputee, became a national icon with his 1980 attempt to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

The 22-year-old made it more than 5,300 kilometres and six provinces, from St. John’s, N.L., to Thunder Bay, Ont., before cancer spread to his lungs and forced him to cut the run short. Ten months later, the disease took his life.

Since then, his legacy has grown to include Terry Fox Runs around the world, raising millions of dollars to fight cancer.

Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West says it makes him the ideal face for the $5 bill, as the Bank of Canada opens nominations for the currency refresh.

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