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This section features videos, print materials and more to help you get to know the new polymer bank notes and learn how to verify their security features.
Polymer notes feel different from paper notes and are still new to Canada, but they can be handled just as easily as paper notes. Here are some helpful tips:
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Recommended technique for counting polymer notes by hand
Cup
What if a retail clerk refused to take your $20 bill, thinking that it was a counterfeit? You’d probably feel embarrassed.
But you shouldn’t be offended. That clerk actually did you—and all of us—a favour. Routinely checking the security features of all notes protects everyone. It allows businesses to intercept counterfeit notes and keep them out of the cash flow and out of your change.
A look at the security and design of the new $20 polymer bank note that features the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France.
Look at the innovative security features and design of the new $100 polymer note.
Also available as .mp4 (24 MB) and .wmv (36 MB)
Part 1: This is the first in a five-part series that looks at each step in the life cycle of a bank note. A new video will be posted each month until November.
Part 2: The process of developing a new series of bank notes doesn’t happen in isolation. Find out how Canadians have a say in selecting the designs that make our bank notes uniquely Canadian.
Part 3: It’s not a simple matter of starting the presses. With the introduction of longer-lasting polymer bank notes, the Bank of Canada is raising the bar on security and production quality. It’s also about meeting the demand for bank notes.
Part 4: The Bank works with Canada’s financial institutions to maintain Canada’s supply of bank notes. Find out how your money flows from the printers all the way to your wallet.
Part 5: It’s a long way off, but our polymer notes will eventually become worn and need to be destroyed and replaced. Even as the first polymer notes enter circulation, the Bank is already looking ahead to the end of their life cycle and it’s a ‘green news story.’
Host Monique offers a quick overview of the Bank's currency role in this excerpt from the corporate video, "Count on Us", which explores all of the Bank of Canada's functions.
Most fraud can be easily prevented with some simple know-how. The Fighting Fraud on the Front Lines video series provides easy-to-follow advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of bank note counterfeiting, debit card fraud, identity crime and cheque fraud. These materials will be of special interest to retailers, financial institutions and police officers.
Canadian bank notes have security features that are easy to check and hard to counterfeit. This video helps you verify bank notes, and informs cash handlers how to deal with suspicious notes.
Debit card fraud costs millions of dollars every year. It’s a threat that can hit anywhere. Consumers and retailers have an important role to play in reducing debit card fraud, and this video provides useful tips and advice.
Identity theft which is happening more and more frequently, is carried out in stores and banks, over the phone, and through the mail and the Internet. It’s a huge problem, with billions of dollars in losses every year. This video explains what you can do to minimize the risks.
Even with all our electronic payment options, cheques are still used for billions of payments every year. This makes them very attractive to fraudsters. The basic pointers in this video are all you need to avoid becoming a victim of cheque fraud.
The Bank of Canada offers free, postage-paid materials, but reserves the right to limit quantities.
The Bank may contact the requestor prior to shipping to verify that certain audience-specific resources are destined for the right users.
Articles on a variety of topics which tell the story of our Canadian bank notes.
April/May 2012 - Introducing Canada’s Polymer $20 Note
March 2012 - Here Comes the New Polymer $50 Note
January 2012 - Polymer Notes—A Green News Story
December 2011 - Be Cash Aware this Holiday Shopping Season
November 2011 - Canada’s First Polymer Bank Note—See and Feel It for Yourself
October 2011 - How Money Flows—Distributing Canada’s Polymer Bank Notes
September 2011 - A Print Job Like No Other—Producing Canada’s Polymer Bank Notes
August 2011 - Uniquely Canadian—Designing Canada’s Polymer Bank Notes
July 2011 - Leading the Charge—Researching and Developing Canada’s Polymer Bank Notes
June 2011 - Introducing Canada’s New Polymer Notes
May 2011 - Raising the Curtain on Canada’s New Polymer Notes
April 2011 - Change for the Better—Canada’s New Polymer Notes
March 2011 - A Little Fraud Awareness Goes a Long Way
February 2011 - Where Money Talks—Canada’s Currency Museum
January 2011 - New Year’s Resolutions that Aren’t Phony
December 2010 - Funny Money and Holiday Shopping—No Laughing Matter
November 2010 - The Currency Journey: How Your Money Travels
October 2010 - More Than Meets the Eye
September 2010 - The Many Faces of Canada’s Currency
The Bank regularly surveys Canadian businesses and citizens to better understand how and why cash is used by assessing awareness, attitudes, and behaviours with respect to bank notes.
Survey results allow the Bank to monitor its progress, to identify potential issues or opportunities, and to adapt its programs, tools, and services as needed.
This survey aims to measure Canadians’ awareness of the new series of polymer bank notes. Respondents were asked if they recalled hearing of any upcoming changes to Canadian bank notes, and if so, where they first heard of the polymer bank notes.
Examines Canadians’ attitudes towards bank notes and the use of cash. Four key questions quantify perceptions of bank note security and attitudes towards counterfeiting.