Canadian Educators Win Bank of Canada Award for Innovative Economics Lessons

Two Canadian educators have won the Bank of Canada Museum's annual award for excellence in teaching economics. Ethan McDonagh, a student at Wilfrid Laurier University completing a practicum at Northbrae Public School in London, Ontario, and Andrew Leong, who teaches at Prince of Wales Secondary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, received the 2026 Award for Excellence in Teaching Economics.

The award recognizes innovative lessons that help students connect economics to contemporary issues. Deputy Governor Sharon Kozicki noted that the selection committee was impressed with how intentionally these lessons were designed for real-world understanding. 'Great economics education looks like active, inquiry-based and grounded in evidence.'

McDonagh's Grade 6 lesson used coloured beads as data to explore income distribution, the value of labour, and fairness. Students compared their models with actual Canadian income distribution data, discussing basic needs and fairness.

Leong created a gamified project called the Macroeconomic Venture Passport that helps Grade 12 students learn macroeconomics by 'travelling' through eight global economies. The project explores real issues shaping today's economies, such as artificial intelligence and automation in Japan, deforestation in the Amazon, and Canada's 2% inflation target.