Front and back of new $5 and $10 dollar bills  which are in circulation now. – images courtesy Bank of Canada

Prince George, B.C. – The new $5 and $10 dollar bills are now  in circulation.

ALthough not accurately shown in these  images, the   colour on the notes is vibrant.

There were two ceremonies today to launch thebills,  one in St. Hubert Quebec, the  other in Vancouver, wher Senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem  said  the bills are making  history, not only in Canada, but the  world.

"We are the first  – and for now, the only country – to have a hologram within a transparent window on our bank notes".

He says the bills are safer  "Safer, because all the notes have the same state-of-the-art security features, using holography, transparency and other elements that make them very difficult to counterfeit but easy for everyone, especially those behind the counter, to verify."

Because the polymer bills last longer than  paper notes,  there won’t be a need to preint and transport as many of them, so the  notes are "more economicial".

The bills are also  "greener" says Macklem, "over the life of the series, fewer notes will be produced. And when they do wear out, they will be recycled. It’s possible that they’ll be recycled into new products."

Macklem took a moment  to  dispell a couple of myths about the polymer bills.  "My favourite myth is that the notes smell like maple syrup. They don’t. So if you get a new bank note and it doesn’t smell of maple syrup, don’t worry. That’s a good thing. 

And you can rest assured; there is no chance these notes will melt if you put them on the dashboard of your car. Trust me on this. There is a chance, however, that your car might be broken into, so I don’t recommend it."