Fox Fiver: Campaign to put Terry Fox on $5 bill gains support

The campaign to put Terry Fox on the new $5 bill has gained some steam.

The CIty of Port Coquitlamnow encouraging residents to nominate Terry Fox as the new face of the $5 bill and have posted a link to a Bank of Canada voting page that asks people to nominate the next "bank NOTE-able Canadian."

It's just the kind of support David Teixeira has been looking for. He began campaigning on social media for Fox’s portrait to be showcased a few weeks ago, when the Bank of Canada announced it would be conducting public consultations to determine who should be placed on the new $5 note.

He was 10 when he first saw Fox running past him during his Marathon of Hope.

“It just stuck with me and I watched his whole journey right until he passed,” Teixeira said.

He’s participated in a Terry Fox run every year since it began and is the organizer for the Terry Fox Hometown Run in Port Coquitlam.

He believes Fox “embodies everything it means to be Canadian” and that “his reach went beyond Canadian borders.”

His campaign has taken off across social media, earning the hashtag #FoxforFiver.

If chosen, he’s also asking Canadians to donate their crisp $5 notes for cancer research.

It would be incredibly meaningful to have Fox’s portrait and a $5 donation from every Canadian to go towards his legacy, especially since 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope, he said.

Now living in Port Moody, Teixeira is still actively involved with the Port Coquitlam community and said locals there truly identify with Fox. Fox was born and raised in Port Coquitlam.

Fox was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1977 and had his right leg amputated. While in hospital he became motivated to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

Fox’s original Marathon of Hope in 1980 ended near Thunder Bay when it was determined Fox’s cancer had spread to his lungs. He died in June 1981, leaving a legacy that included his original fundraising effort of $24.17 million, the annual run in his name, the Terry Fox Foundation and the Terry Fox Research Institute, all devoted towards cancer research.

Canadians can submit their nominations until March 11.
 

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