Currency Controversy (By: Jordan Brundrett)
As you have may have noticed recently, our currency is in the process of being modernized. The Bank of Canada describes our new polymer bills as secure, durable, innovative, and easy-to-handle.
So far, new $100, $50, and $20 bills have been released; and the new $10 and $5 bills are set to be released by the end of 2013. Despite the overwhelming initial excitement about the new bills, there have been quite a few complaints.
The latest controversy involves the maple leaf printed in the top left corner of the new $20 polymer bill which came into circulation last November. Botanists claim the image on the new bill looks like a Norway maple leaf – not the Canadian sugar maple leaf that appears on our national flag.
The Norway leaf has five main points and is more, well, fat. Ours has only three and looks a little trimmer. Many will not fret the new leaf, but a few parochial nationalists will.
The Bank of Canada denied any mistake and issued a statement saying that the leaf on the new bill is just more “stylized”. The Bank claims to have worked with a botanist who works with trees, but it will not name the person.
Yet there are other complaints too. Some people find the bills stick together too easily and argue this could lead to miscounts. Other people complain that the new bills do not work well in vending machines. Some machines are not able to read the new bills and cannot process the transaction (similar to the issue with the new toonies and loonies not being recognized by vending machines after being put into circulation).
Some worry the new polymer bills could melt in the sun. Last July, unconfirmed reports emerged of “cooked currency” in Kelowna, B.C. As well, reports surfaced of a bank teller reportedly suggesting that the new “durable” polymer notes can melt inside a car in the hot sun. Soon after in Ontario, an image of a burnt $100 bill was circulated on the internet.
The Bank of Canada has been quick to deny such problems and points out that the bills underwent rigorous testing before being approved for circulation.
Then there’s the complaint of some nationalist Canadians that the woman on the bill, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England, is not a Canadian. They question her continued ubiquitous presence on our currency.
Ultimately, it is almost impossible to make everyone happy. So, what should we do? Perhaps it is time to put all this controversy aside and turn over a new leaf.