(Newswire.net — May 30, 2013) Torronto, CN — Torronto-based Candian Press recently made known that a convincing number of Canadians are alledging that the new Candian currency smells like maple syrup.
The news agency obtained a year’s worth of emails sent to the Bank of Canada from concerned Canadians inquiring about the delitious smell in the plastic bills.
It appears dozens of people contacted the bank after the polymer notes first appeared inquiring about a secret scratch-and-sniff patch that some say smells like maple syrup.
Canada began swapping paper for plastic in November 2011 starting with its $100 bill.
The polymer currencies, developed in the 1980s in Australia, are helping countries fight against counterfeit bills.
The Bank of Canada says there is no truth to the rumor and that no scent has been added to the currency.
The maple mystery began soon after the first polymer note was released and has persisted in cyberspace on YouTube videos, blogs and Tweets.
A Vancouver woman who creates perfumes said her discerning nose picked up the scent of maple in the very first $100 polymer bills she encountered.
“I didn’t know about this phenomenon until a friend asked me to close my eyes and tell him what I smelled,” Monique Sherrett said in an email to The Canadian Press. “Maple syrup.”
Sherrett, who has created a small collection of Harry Potter-inspired perfumes or potions, says the bills had been freshly removed from the friend’s back pocket.
“I do think heat has something to do with activating the smell. … Scratching will create some heat friction but my friend’s warm butt is likely the activator.”
The Bank of Canada initially withheld all of the public correspondence about the new polymer bank notes, citing privacy concerns, but recently released a package of material after an investigation by the information commissioner of Canada.
Wikipedia: Banknotes of the Canadian dollar are the banknotes or bills (in common lexicon) of Canada, denominated in Canadian dollars (CAD, C$, or $ locally). Currently, they are issued in $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 denominations. All current notes are issued by the Bank of Canada, which released its first series of notes in 1935. Polymer banknotes were introduced in 2011 and have been partially phased in. The $100, $50 and $20 denominations have been issued, and the $10 and $5 notes will be issued before the end of 2013.
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