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    Army bills: Funding the War of 1812

    In 1812, British North America had no banks and little currency. With the prospect of war drying up supplies of coins, the government of Lower Canada decided to issue legal tender notes called “army bills” to pay for troops and supplies.

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    Needs or wants? That is the question!

    Do you need it, or do you want it? That’s an important question to ask before buying anything. This activity is designed to teach kids how to prioritize their needs and wants, and how to make informed choices when shopping.

    Teaching the green economy

    From windmills and solar panels to electric cars, signs of the green economy are all around us. Check out our resources for how to teach about the green economy.

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  • The Museum Blog

Museum Reconstruction - Part 2

By: Graham Iddon


June 16, 2014

Take a peek at the proposed plans for our new museum

We are coming up on a year since we closed the doors on the physical museum. During that year, we’ve worked very hard to make sure everybody knows that we are still a functioning museum and one that will be opening its doors again in a few years on a beautiful new space, with an expanded mission and mandate. In case you don’t believe us, we’ve arranged for a sneak peek at some real architectural plans and elevations.

As you can imagine, we are all very excited about the preliminary plans for our new museum space. True, we have to apply adjectives like ‘may’ and ‘likely’ and ‘proposed’ when speaking of the different aspects of said plans; we know that many changes may occur as renovations progress. Nevertheless there are things we can tell you and, frankly, we’re just bursting to do so.

Probably the best news is that the new museum will have more than twice the exhibition space of the old museum. You may wonder how we’ll fill it with such tiny things as coins and bills—don’t fret, our future museum will also be an interpretive centre for the Bank, bringing to Canadians the work of the Bank in creative and memorable ways. And that’s going to take some room.

Outside, we will have a highly visible street level entrance. No longer will we be a museum people tend to stumble upon; instead our entrance is going to be very conspicuous among the ever flowing rivers of walk-by traffic. Visitors will enter our space through a large glass structure, then take stairs or an elevator to reach the Museum itself, one level below ground.

Okay, so far we can’t tell you all that much and much of what we can tell you is far from certain. Nevertheless, we’re happy to be able to at least begin lifting the curtain on what, from our perspective, has all the earmarks of an exciting future.

We want to hear from you! Do you have an idea for a blog post you’d like to see?
Content type(s): Blog posts

The Museum Blog

June 16, 2022

Army bills: Funding the War of 1812

By: David Bergeron, Graham Iddon


In 1812, British North America had no banks and little currency. With the prospect of war drying up supplies of coins, the government of Lower Canada decided to issue legal tender notes called “army bills” to pay for troops and supplies.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Economy, History
May 5, 2022

Between tradition and technology

By: Graham Iddon


Collage, man at an easel, paintings of birds and a goose illustration with comments written on it.
What was proposed was a complete about-face from the philosophy behind recent security printing. If photocopiers could easily deal with the colours and designs of the current series, then the next series should be bold and simple.
Content type(s): Blog posts
April 21, 2022

Teaching the green economy

By: Adam Young


From windmills and solar panels to electric cars, signs of the green economy are all around us. Check out our resources for how to teach about the green economy.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Business and careers, Economy, Geography, Science, Social studies Grade level(s): Grade 07 / Secondary 1, Grade 08 / Secondary 2, Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
April 4, 2022

Talk to your kids about money

By: Heather Montgomery


Collage, ceramic pig on background of a bank book and a stamp folder with kids on it.
Introduce important financial skills to your children, and help them plan for their futures with free resources from the Bank of Canada Museum and others.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Financial literacy Grade level(s): Early childhood / Kindergarten, Grade 01, Grade 02, Grade 03, Grade 04, Grade 05, Grade 06, Grade 07 / Secondary 1, Grade 08 / Secondary 2, Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
March 3, 2022

Teaching inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic

By: Heather Montgomery


COVID-19 has had an unprecedented effect on the economy: closing businesses, driving down demand and interrupting supplies. With news stories and popular culture addressing inflation and supply chain issues, now is the perfect time to explain this key economic concept to your high school students.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Economy Grade level(s): Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP

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Ottawa, ON
K1A 0G9, CANADA
613‑782‑8914

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