Polymer $100 bill now in circulation

By the end of next year, all Canadian money will have been changed to plastic. As CTV's Atlantic Bureau Chief Todd Battis reports, Canada issued its first plastic note Monday.

CTV Toronto: Polymer $100 bills now in circulation

Andria Case reports on the new polymer currency and how they are being received by consumers.

CTV Montreal: New polymer bills in circulation

Plastic money made its debut in Canada on Monday, when the central bank brought its new $100 bills into circulation. Cindy Sherwin reports.

CTV News Channel: Dan Riskin, Daily Planet co-host

The co-host of Daily Planet explains the scientific testing behind the new polymer bills and how some people are already complaining about the 'Monopoly money' feeling of them.

Watch: See all Videos in the Player

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Bank of Canada Mark Carney shows off the bank's new circulating $100 bill, Canada's first polymer bank note, in Toronto on Monday Nov. 14, 2011. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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CTVNews.ca Staff

Date: Mon. Nov. 14 2011 8:56 PM ET

Plastic money made its debut in Canada on Monday, when the central bank brought its new $100 bills into circulation.

The innovative bills became available to the public Monday afternoon, giving Canadians their first chance to hold a polymer bank note in their hands.

"There's no other currency like it anywhere in the world," Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney said Monday afternoon.

The new bills have been designed to be more durable and long lasting than their paper predecessors.

Carney said the high-tech bills are expected to last at least 2.5 times as long as a conventional paper bill and they will be recycled when they are taken out of circulation.

The bills have a transparent window on them, as well as some transparent text.

The bank governor said the bank notes "contain the unique combination of transparency, holography and other sophisticated security elements."

The new $100 bills feature two portraits of prime minister Robert Borden, as well as an image of a researcher at a microscope and a depiction of DNA.

A similarly constructed $50 bill will follow in four months' time. Further plastic money will be in circulation by the end of 2013.

Carney said we are still living in an era when many consumers choose cash over credit or debit, which means that the bank has to ensure that its money is hard to counterfeit.

"The reports of the death of cash are greatly exaggerated," Carney said.

"Our research shows that cash is used for more than half of all shopping transactions and Canadians, as a consequence, need a currency that they can trust."

With files from The Canadian Press

Comments are now closed for this story

CdnMountie
said

@Steve:He is a Staff Sgt so he has 4 chevrons and that is the proper way to wear it for a S/Sgt. Sgt's have 3 chevrons and a crown and wear it the other way.

Tirtles
said

Bank notes in Australia have been made of this type of material for about 20?years. They are strong and last much longer. Saves reprinting.

Doug in BC
said

Ray is right, I need suspenders to hold my pants up with the weight of the brass in my pocket, lets get the $1.00 and $2.00 back

Cindy Sherwin
said

Hi there!

In response to your comment, Mr. Johnson didn't say it was the 'only' polymer bill in the world, he said it was the most advanced.

It was the opinion of all present at the news conference, including the RCMP and the scientists, that our bill is the most innovative as it contains numerous security features not found on other similar currency around the world.

Thanks,
Cindy Sherwin
CTV Montreal

Pierre Racine
said

Mr. D.Jonhson , is out to lunch, miss informed, as these polymer bills have been in existence in new Zealand for decades.

Manchild
said

Do people still use cash?

Maria
said

@Jazz I bet you'd be really happy when you lost that

steve
said

Anyone notice the RCMP Sgt had his stripes on backwards ... you would think he would look over that before going on TV lol

art
said

Why would we move to plastic? Using plastic simply raises the price of goods and services as the providers have to recover the extreme fees that they are charged by banks for accepting cards. Reduce prices by using cash.

ray
said

Bring back the $1 and $2 bills please. No more toonie and loonie. Make them collector items. Every is sick and tried of carrying around added weight.

Sam Rice Kahnawake
said

Bring back the one dollar and two dollar bills now that they're made of plastic, they're stronger and should be put back into circulation. No more toonies and loonies!

ray
said

just stop wasting time, just make the standard North American currency. I know each level of government want to do it.

Jazz
said

I was really hoping fof a $100 coin :(

scott - victoria bc
said

all these calls to bring back the $1 and $2 bills really surprise me. personally i think it's time for a $5 coin--maybe even a $10.

jeffrey
said

I suspect the 100 bill will have the texture similar to wax. I will be very careful on handling them ensuring that more than one is not stuck together. I know, haaa haaa haaa... most people are saying, they would be lucky to see even one, let alone more. Well, the point is, when having fresh new bills, be care-full when handling them. Sometimes they stick together so, remember to snap your fingers on them.
Will they snap like a regular cotton bill? Be careful not to get a paper cut.

Independently Minded
said

Damn!That's a sexy looking bill.Too bad the 99% won't be seeing any of 'em...

AussieCanadian
said

Australia has been using this type of money since the mid 80's, about time Canada. This technology is this best in the world and it will take time to get use to it.

Doug ^^^ BC
said

LOL!!! Good one "Silver Advocate".I buy a bit of silver too.But I'm not at all anxious to go back to the days when people smuggled our slver coins into the USA,and melted them down because a 50 cent piece contained 75 cents worth of silver. I'm a bit of a precious metals guy myself,but when I want silver,I buy silver.I don't collect coins.

IslandGuy
said

I am really glad those $100's are out. I use them all the time........not.

JAY Parker
said

You can always tell a canadian who has been out drinking at night.....

Their pants are at their ankles from all the Loonies and Toonies in their pants...

One positive is that if you are ever attacked, just put all your loonies and Toonies in your sock.....

An ya have a weapon....:)

plabo
said

Many people, me for one, fold my paper money in two. I have not read anything if the new plastic money can be folded many times over without breaking in half.

Stoke Boy
said

I think that they're a great idea. They will last longer and be harder to duplicate. Now could we please get our $1 and $2 bills back????????????? Canadians should be excused from carrying all of those loonies and toonies around, Come on bank of C ,and mint, help us out!

Gilles
said

There is way too much misinformation in these posts. If you haven't seen the Bank of Canada videos on the new bills, take a few minutes, they are very well done, they explain the design process and the security features which are now included. They also explains why they picked the $100 to be produced first:http://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/audience-specific-resources/media/

Calgary88
said

Lester: the new bills were designed in Canada and are manufactured in Canada. Only the raw materials were imported from Australia, who by the way supply this polymer base to something like 40 countries now. It's not something new, been around for years, just new to us !

cabaretecanuck
said

Glad to see we are finally catching up to that hotbed of high tech, the Dominican Republic! They have had a polymer 20 peso note for about a year (clear window and all). Despite high temps and humidity here, they seem very durable, and are absolutely no more difficult to carry around than regular notes. Only thing to watch out for - very slippery when new.
A positive step all around for the Canadian mint.

Smith
said

Polymer Bills.

Now even the drug dealers will accept 'plastic.'

Ian in Michigan
said

I spent some time in Australia back in 2011. They were using plastic bills like these, then. They were EXCELLENT - about half the thickness of paper money so you could carry a large number in your wallet and still be able to close it. Maybe it's an opportunity to re-visit the $1 and $ paper issue.

Rob
said

Don't leave it in the sun too long it may fade and be worth??? Spend it within 5 years or it may fall apart and be worthless; who really believed that using environmentally safe "plastics" would cost less and last longer???__________________________Yeah, I'll make sure I don't leave my hundred dollar bills laying around in the sun.......

Jim - North Saanich, BC
said

What would make me really happy is to see the return of one and two dollar bills. I'm sick and tired of hauling around "loonies" and "twonies" - there is no room for them in the coin carrier in my wallet and they wear holes in my pockets.

I first encountered "plasticized" currency in Australia more than ten years ago. The bills are extremely difficult to counterfeit and and the circulation life is years not months or even days as it was the case with our one and two dollar bill hence the reason given for the "mega-coins" which we now pack around and that frankly are a pain in the backside!

Rita
said

Sure the polymer bills are a good idea for durability reasons, but the paper money was from recyclable annd renewable resource as long as not clearcutting large areas, hillsides or old growth coastal forests. Now, if I understand correctly, we need petroleum products to produce these new bills; what kind of polymers? This means the present bills are not green ... hah! How about the cost? Cost was higher, but the durability combats the higher initial costs. Australia and some other countires have had polymer bills for several years. This is not a Canadian invention.

SilverAdvocate
said

Put Silver back into Canadian Coinage.... O.... I forgot,... the Government stole it from Canadians back in 1964.

Tim in Halifax
said

If the government wants to make money last longer....just lower taxes.Get rid of the penny....if it costs 1.5 cents to make them, then stop making them immediately and offer to buy pennies from Canadians for 1.25 cents this year, 1.2 cents next year....etc. Do you not think Canadians would not be furiously rolling pennies if they can get 25%, 20%, 15% premium on their money???

Prof. Pye Chartt
said

Sounds awesome. Now, get rid of the STUPID $1.00 and $2.00 mega-coins. It's like Medieval times in Canada. I feel like I should have a weighty leather coin sack around my shoulder. Let's keep moving FORWARD.

David
said

Doug ^^^ BC
said

OMG. It's hard to believe how people can be so annoyed by what is almost certain to be an improvement.The spin would be hilarious if it wasn't so specious. These bills will last much longer.That is a big saving to all taxpayers.Retailers will be more likely to accept large bills,if the risk of fakes is minimal.That is a convenience to consumers. Simple stuff,really.Assuming that it works as intended,arguing against this change looks more like politcal bias than anything real or pragmatic. And BTW,I get $50 bills from my ATM.Not all the time,but frequently.And yes,it is annoying when a retailer without the ability to check for fakes refuses the bill.If this makes teh bills more acceptable when I go to spend them,that alone is worth it to me. Honestly my friends,as anrgy as some of us can be,it makes no sense to go through life complaining about EVERYTHING.Take a day off the whining,and go out and appreciate what we DO HAVE.It's considerable,relatively speaking. Do not look upon that lightly.

Amar H
said

Does the Ink contain BPA???

Mike
said

If you look carefully at the area they are pointing at in the picture it says ... "Made In China"

KCbby
said

FINALLY! Mexico had these plastic bills for years and its difficult to counterfit. I wonder why the USA doesnt do anything more to stem counterfitting.

Paul in Wpg
said

Well for those who think that stores will not accept the new polymer $50 and $100 bills because they are too large are grossly misinformed. Stores currently refuse the larger denominations because of the quality of forgeries out there make them very hard to distinguish between the real ones. You will find more stores who will readily accept the new polymer bills.

Pete Seville
said

@peter in BC:

Exactly! If the argument was for long lasting currency then they should bring back the $1 bill. I would however think about omitting the $2 bill. The U.S. seems to be doing well enough without the $2 in heavy circulation. But do get rid of the Looney & Tooney and definitely dispel the rumour of the $5 coin.

The Chinese invented paper money a long time ago... for a reason.

Jim in Ottawa
said

This excellent and welcome news. In addition to the novelty of releasing new materials technology, I also look forward to spending the bills on crap I don't need and on bailing out Greek and Italian taxpayers for their largese.

HEy RG
said

Hey RG, try go to any real bank, like RBC. They gave 50$ paper. be careful with that stack of money. people will follow you...

Scott (Alberta Party country)
said

I agree with RG...polymer $100 bills! Get real...no retailer today will take a bill that large. Make the popular and well used $20 bill out of the polymer material, at least then it'll get used and prove it's worth the cost of manufacturing.

RG
said

I find this hilarious.Spending money to make money NO ONE will accept.I dare you to find a store in this city that will accept $100 and $50 notes.I went to the ATM to withdraw $800 and it was all in twenties.Why not SAVE money by getting rid of the penny instead.Or does this society solely depend on $9.99 sales or cars that cost $21,999.99?

Lester
said

Too bad we aren't MAKING them here in Canada

peter in BC
said

Personally, I'm all game for the new notes. I look forward to them! But if I recall, they eliminated the $1 and $2 bills due to the fact that they didn't last long in circulation. Would it stand to reason that they will eliminate the Looney and the Tooney now and go back to the $1 and $2 bills? Chances are now that they will outlast the coins and probably end up being cheaper to produce. Finally, a lighter wallet! Wait, what was I thinking.........?

Robert B
said

Put a couple of hundred dollars of that stuff in your wallet and then try to fold your wallet closed, Good luck!!!!

David H
said

I spend a fair bit of time in Australia, and am fully used to the polymer bank notes. They're a good idea I believe and glad we're going over to them. I like that we're going to use more "Canadiana" on them as well.

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