Canada Introducing Plastic Bank Notes

Dateline: 03/17/11

New Series of Canadian Plastic Bank Notes

The Bank of Canada plans to issue a new series of bank notes in 2011 and they'll be printed on a plastic material. The Polymer series bank notes will not only be more secure than current bank notes and easier for both retailers and the public to verify, they will also be cheaper to produce and have a smaller environmental impact. The plastic bills are expected to last at least 2.5 times longer than earlier bank notes in use in Canada, which are printed on cotton-paper.

Schedule for Introduction of Plastic Bank Notes

The first Canadian polymer bank note will be the $100 bill which is scheduled to begin circulating in November 2011. A polymer $50 bill is scheduled to follow in March 2012. The other denominations – the $20 bill, then the $10 and $5 bills – are due out by the end of 2013.

Design of Canadian Plastic Bank Notes

As well as having leading edge security features specially designed for use with polymer, the plastic bank notes will have new visual designs, although the new bank notes will stay the same size as current ones, and keep the same dominant colours as past series. In order to give time for retailers and the public to become familiar with the appearance and security features of the new bank notes, the design of each bank note in the Polymer series will be unveiled a few months before it goes into circulation.