Salt Spring dollars
Dollar worth more than 100 cents on Salt Spring
Samples of island currency.
By JIM SCOTT
While on Salt Spring Island, you will discover a colourful currency in circulation - but it's not the multicoloured Canadian currency. These notes are Salt Spring Dollars. They are real money issued and administered by the Salt Spring Island Monetary Foundation.
Salt Spring Dollars are what are referred to worldwide as a complementary currency. Complementary currencies operate on a smaller scale than the national level. Their commonality is moving the power to control the medium of exchange from a source external to the economic community, to one internal to the community.
By spending Salt Spring Dollars when visiting the island, you can share the community's history through the figures represented on the notes, and enjoy the talent of the local artists who designed the notes and those whose art adorns the currency. At the same time you will make your own unique contribution to the well-being of the community. Every Salt Spring Dollar in circulation is a Canadian dollar earning deposit interest or revenue that will be spent on community projects.
After you arrive on Salt Spring Island, come to the Visitors Information Centre. There you can learn the stories behind the historical figures and be directed to the studios of participating artists. You can also exchange Canadian dollars for Salt Spring Dollars and then have fun spending them in local shops and restaurants. Using Salt Spring Dollars while on Salt Spring adds another dimension to your enjoyment of a total island experience. And, when you take a few home as souvenirs, they will keep the memories of your visit alive until you return.