The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) is helping to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer with the release of a new 25-cent piece, the 2006 Official First Day Pink Ribbon coin.

The coin features the pink ribbon recognized as a symbol of hope for breast cancer victims.

The emotional unveiling took place at LIFEfest, an expo for women being held in downtown Toronto.

"It is a dramatic symbol of hope for the over 21,200 Canadians who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year," Mary Jane Thompson, of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, told the crowd.

"With the hope that one day no family will lose a loved one to breast cancer."

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canadian woman with one in nine expected to get the disease within their lifetime.

Further, the Canadian Cancer Society says about 21,600 women and 150 men in Canada were diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

The Mint has produced 30 million coins and they'll begin circulating them starting Saturday. The coins will be exclusively distributed throughout Shopper's Drug Mart stores.

Additionally, 12 Canadian fashion designers have created one-of-a kind fashion items that will incorporate the new coin.

The coin is the second attempt at producing a coloured quarter by the RCM. In 2004, they produced the 25-cent poppy coin as a tribute for Remembrance Day and distributed them throughout Tim Horton's locations.

A coin-imbedded bookmark with a pink-ribbon lapel pin will also be sold through the RCM and Shopper's Drug Mart locations.

It will retail for $13.95 with $1 of the proceeds going to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.