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Border Adventures
Currency Considerations and Duty Free tips
Quebec is still a province of Canada and uses the Canadian dollar. A picture of "La Reine" as the Queen is called, still appears on the Canadian $20 bill, much to the chagrin of Quebec nationalists. The exchange rates are always fluctuating. If you want to check on the current exchange rate, the Bank of Canada web site provides a currency exchange calculator. It can be found at
If you use a US credit card in Canada, be aware that MasterCard, Visa and American Express will charge a currency exchange transaction fee for each transaction. This charge can make some things less of a "deal." If you want to "save" carry Canadian cash for that one or two day trip. Save your receipts. If you spend more than $100 on any one item, you will be entitled to a refund of the Canadian GST. Stop at any Duty Free (Hors Tax) before leaving Quebec.
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The Canadian dollar is based mostly on the resources that Canada has as a country. When the world price of resources, especially energy increases, so does the value of the Canadian dollar. In addition, you can expect the Canadian dollar to strengthen further as the U.S. involvement in Iraq continues and the U.S deficit increases. Those of you who remember the Vietnam War will recall that at one point, the Canadian dollar rose to almost $1.25 in terms of U.S. funds. It looks as if the same thing is about to happen again. As the saying goes:"History Repeats Itself."
Timothy Palmer-Benson
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