A man sniffs Canada's new $100 bill and says it smells like maple syrup (CTV)To some, the allure of money is irresistible, but even the most frugal spender may be drawn to Canada’s new plastic bills if the rumors are true: A significant number of Canadians claim the currency smells like maple syrup.The Canadian Press, however, went directly to the source, the Bank of Canada, which says there is no truth to the rumor.
Nonetheless, the news outlet obtained copies of requests sent to the bank that demand to know how the bank managed to add the delicious scent to the bills.
“I would like to know ... once and for all if these bills are in fact scented, as I do detect a hint of maple when smelling the bill,” reads one email.
The new plastic bills were released in November 2011, and rumors about the scent began almost immediately.
Canada has made headlines several times over the past two years with its ever-changing currency, first when it announced plans to pull the penny from circulation back in March 2012, and a month later, when it released a limited edition glow-in-the dark dinosaur coin.
Last year, CTV even did an on-air investigation as to whether the new bills had a noticeable syrup scent:
Still, even if the government didn’t intentionally add the alleged maple syrup scent, it appears not too many citizens would be complaining if it did. In fact, the Canadian Press notes that some emails sent to the government bank actually complain that their bills don’t smell like syrup.
“The note ... lost its maple smell,” said one writer. “I strongly suggest the Bank increases the strength of the ... maple smell,” reads one such email.
For the record, bank official Jeremy Harrison says no scent has been added to any of the new bank notes.
