That woman in the funny money above is Agnes Macphail, a one-time Leaside resident who lived at the corner of Donegall and Millwood.
She was also the first woman elected as a Member of Parliament in Canada and had a stellar record of advocating for social justice issues, both at the federal level and subsequently as an MPP in Ontario representing York East.
Starting March 8, International Women’s Day, the Bank of Canada asked Canadians to nominate an iconic woman, who died at least 25 years ago, to be featured on a Canadian banknote to be issued in 2018. The nomination period closed on April 15. By then, there were 127 names on the list, including Queen Victoria and Laura Secord.
Macphail has been promoted as well by people in Bruce County, her original home and the riding she represented federally.
Maybe she will also get a boost when the final decision is made in consultation with Stephen Poloz, governor of the Bank of Canada, by the minister of finance, Bill Morneau (who lives in the Leaside Life area, Bennington Heights).
