New Canadian $20 bill not accepted everywhere
Reported problems using polymer bill at ticket machines in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton
CBC News
Posted: Nov 16, 2012 9:44 AM ET
Last Updated: Nov 16, 2012 10:22 PM ET
Related
Have you had problems using the new $20 bill ?
Submit your breaking news, stories, photos and videos.
Upload Now You must be a member of the CBC News Community to upload. Sign Up now.
Canadians across the country are finding those crisp new $20 bills might not be accepted everywhere.
The new polymer bill went into circulation earlier this month, but consumers looking to use the country's most widely used banknote are finding certain machines can't process their money.
CBC News has learned that ticket vending machines for Vancouver's TransLink and Toronto's GO Transit both don't accept the new bill, which was revamped by the Bank of Canada to deter counterfeiters.
GO Transit said it discovered the glitch after testing the bills, and their "machines will need a software upgrade in order to accept the new bills."
A software upgrade is also underway in Edmonton, after the city's transit system discovered that fare machines were not recognizing the new bills.
The Bank of Canada's senior analyst Julie Girard said they've been working since 2009 with bank note equipment manufacturers and financial institutions to help facilitate a smooth transition to the polymer series.
"It’s a natural thing when we change series," said Girard. "Even when we've changed from one paper series to the next before polymer was introduced we still had to upgrade the machines."
Across Canada there are roughly half a million machines, such as ticket vending machines and ATMs, that process bank notes.
Acknowledging the problem these new polymer bills have posed for manufacturers, Girard said the bank provided them with the new notes up to six months before they went into circulation so they could make neccesary adjustments.
What's not clear, however, is if the cost of upgrades will eventually be passed on to consumers.
The Royal Canadian Mint created a headache to the tune of $40 million for the vending industry earlier this year when it released lighter versions of the loonie and toonie.
The $20 bill is the third note to get a makeover, following on the heels of the $100 and $50 bills released earlier this year. Paper bills will remain in circulation as the new notes are gradually introduced to Canadians.
The Bank of Canada has said the new polymer notes are more secure and durable than earlier bills.
"These notes are going to be cleaner and they're going to process more efficiently," said Julie Girard, senior analyst at the bank.
New plastic $5 and $10 notes are scheduled to be issued by the end of 2013.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- How was the Mike Duffy report 'whitewashed?'
- Opposition parties pushed the government on Thursday to answer questions about the "whitewashed" Duffy report while the RCMP is also seeking more information from the Senate as part of its review of questionable expenses. more »
- 2nd suspect in Tim Bosma murder case to plead not guilty
- The lawyer for Mark Smich says the Oakville, Ont., resident will plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Tim Bosma, the Hamilton man who disappeared earlier this month after taking two men on a test drive of his truck. more »
- Chat about the rise of binge TV watching on Thursday 7 p.m.
- After a seven year hiatus, Netflix is set to release a new season of Arrested Development -- and some fans are already predicting they'll watch all 15 episodes in one sitting. This week on CBC Live Online, host Lauren O'Neil will speak with a panel of guests and viewers like you about the rise of binge TV watching. Harmless hobby or horrible habit? more »
- SNC-Lavalin letter says Gadhafi son offered VP post: RCMP
- SNC-Lavalin's ties to Libya's former dictatorship ran so deep the company offered the son of Moammar Gadhafi a six-figure job as a vice president in 2008, according to a newly unsealed RCMP affidavit. more »
Must Watch
Latest Canada News Headlines
- 2nd suspect in Tim Bosma murder case to plead not guilty
- The lawyer for Mark Smich says the Oakville, Ont., resident will plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Tim Bosma, the Hamilton man who disappeared earlier this month after taking two men on a test drive of his truck. more »
- Canada's privacy laws inadequate for digital age, watchdog says
- Canadians' trust in the digital economy is at risk because our laws don't have enough teeth to compel companies to protect consumers' privacy, Canada's privacy commissioner says. more »
- Montreal boil-water advisory to end no earlier than 10 p.m.

- 1.3 million Montrealers will have to keep boiling their water until at least 10:00 p.m., by which time the water service should have analyzed the latest batch of test results. more »
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford fires chief of staff
- A week after bombshell allegations that Toronto Mayor Rob ford was videotaped smoking crack, the mayor's chief of staff was fired and Ford is continuing to stonewall reporters. more »
The National
The Current
- Politics in the Classroom May. 23, 2013 5:06 PM We visit a place where the rhymes of Dr. Seuss are thought too politically shrill to be heard in a classroom in British Columbia.
- 2nd suspect in Tim Bosma murder case to plead not guilty
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford fires chief of staff
- 2 more arrests linked to hacking death of British soldier
- How was the Mike Duffy report 'whitewashed?'
- Vancouver man abandons Porsche on B.C. ferry
- Chained-teen's mom wants man who pleaded guilty 'to suffer'
- B.C. teen saves pet dog in 'terrifying' cougar attack
- Neil Macdonald: Harper no Obama when it comes to dealing with scandals
- Mike Duffy's primary home not P.E.I., unedited Senate report says

