Skip to content
  • FR
FR
  • About us
    Building, illuminated glass towers on either side of an old, square, stone building.

    About us

    We're here to help you understand what the Bank of Canada does and how it matters to you.

    About the Bank of Canada

    Find out what the Bank does, who runs the Bank and how it is separate from the political process.

    Connect with us

    We'd love to hear from you! Contact us by email, phone or mail—or join us on social media.

  • Visit

    Visit

    • Plan your visit
    • Accessibility and special needs
    • Code of conduct
    • COVID-19 protocols

    Plan your visit

    Here's what you need to know, how to make the most of your visit and where to find us.

    Luck and Lore

    Discover the spiritual, the ceremonial, the superstitious uses we have for money and the surprising roots of some very familiar traditions.

  • Explore

    Exhibitions

    • Permanent exhibition
    • Special exhibitions
    • Travelling exhibitions
    • Past exhibitions

    Blog

    Collection

    • About the Collection
    • Collection Services
    • Canadian Bank Notes Series
    • Search the Collection
    Collage, man at an easel, paintings of birds and a goose illustration with comments written on it.

    Between tradition and technology

    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.

  • Learn

    Learn

    • Activities and games
    • Education blog
    • External resources
    • Lesson plans
    • School programs
    • Video discussion guides

    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.

We’ve reopened
Welcome back! Visit us every Thursday to Monday from 10:00 to 17:00 (ET).
  • Home
  • The Museum Blog

Unpacking the Collection 3

By: David Bergeron


September 28, 2015

Merchant scrip from Labrador

An enhanced view of the engraving on the scrip showing two lumberjacks operating a whipsaw.

Before banks were established in remote regions of Canada, paying employees involved shipping currency long distances into wild and often lawless regions. The alternative to this risky enterprise was for the company to issue its own money. Called scrip, this private merchant currency was redeemable for products at the company store and even frequently in the local economy. When employees returned from the bush, they were able to redeem their scrip for cash at the company head office. Established in 1900, the Grand River Pulp & Lumber Company operated a mill at Hamilton Inlet at the mouth of what is now the Churchill River near Goose Bay, Labrador. From 1902-1911, the company issued scrip in 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢ and $1, $2 and $5 denominations to pay their lumber workers.


Grand River Pulp & Lumber Co. c.1911, 5 cents scrip. (NCC 2008.041.001a1)



Grand River Pulp & Lumber Co. c.1911, 10 cents scrip. (NCC 2008.041.002a1)



Grand River Pulp & Lumber Co. c.1911, 25 cents scrip. (NCC 2008.041.003a1)


When Alfred Dickie, a Halifax lumberman, applied to Newfoundland for a timber licence for his Grand River operation, the Quebec government lodged a complaint, claiming it was on Quebec territory. They even went so far as to stamp Dickie’s logs as Quebec lumber. Newfoundland refused to cancel the licence and a long, drawn-out border dispute ensued. Quebec and Newfoundland took the case to the British Privy Council in 1904, which finally ruled in Newfoundland’s favour in 1927. Quebec did not accept the judgment and its appeal remained on the books until it was officially cancelled in 1971. Alfred Dickie could have had no idea that the border dispute sparked by his timber licence application would remain unresolved for sixty years after his operation went out of business.


Grand River Pulp & Lumber Co. c.1911, 50 cents scrip. (NCC 2008.041.004a1)



Grand River Pulp & Lumber Co. c.1911, 1 dollar scrip. (NCC 2008.041.005a1)



Grand River Pulp & Lumber Co. c.1911, 2 dollars scrip. (NCC 2008.041.006a1)


The Grand River Pulp & Lumber Company issued the only known merchant scrip in Labrador, a thinly populated region that to this day has not been entirely explored. The National Currency Collection holds a complete set that once belonged to former Newfoundland premier, Joey Smallwood; a remarkable connection to this fragment of our history.

Grand River Pulp & Lumber Co. c.1911, 5 dollars scrip. (NCC 2008.041.007a1)

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

Subscribe to The Museum Blog
The Museum Blog

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
February 3, 2022

Queen of the bank notes

By: Graham Iddon


Few of us have ever met her, and it’s likely none of us are even remotely related to her. Yet, Canadians have carried her picture in their wallets for generations now. She’s Queen Elizabeth II and has been our monarch for over 70 years.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): History

More Info

30 Bank Street
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0G9, CANADA
613‑782‑8914

  • Things to do

  • Plan your visit
  • Find educational resources
  • Search the Collection
  • Connect with us
  • Things to see

  • Canadian bank notes
  • Exhibitions
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Things to know

  • Accessibility and special needs
  • Code of conduct
  • COVID-19 protocols
  • Privacy
●●
Bank of Canada Museum

Visit the Bank of Canada web site ›

We use cookies to help us keep improving this website.

Accept and continue