The Salt Spring Dollar is a

local currency In economics, a local currency is a currency that can be spent in a particular geographical locality at participating organisations. A regional currency is a form of local currency encompassing a larger geographical area, while a community curren ...

issued by the Salt Spring Island Monetary Foundation to promote local history, art and goodwill on

Salt Spring Island Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island. The island was initially inhabited by various Salishan peoples before being settled ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

History

Roundtable discussions of the Sustainable Salt Spring Island Coalition examined the possible establishment of a local currency in the fall of 2000. In July 2001, the Salt Spring Island Monetary Foundation was established and registered with the Province of British Columbia. The currency was first issued in September 2001. In 2006, the Spring Island Monetary Foundation began planning their first silver coin edition. The first coins were minted and issued in December 2007.

Currency

Bills were, and still are, issued in , , , , , , and denominations. Each bears the image of a distinct figure from Salt Spring history, such as Henry Wright Bullock ($$1 bill), Matilda Naukana Harris ($$2 bill), and Sylvia Stark ($$5 bill). Along with the figure is a quote by

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...

: "How I wish that somewhere there existed an Island for those who are wise and of good will! In such a place even I would be an ardent patriot." In the centres are landscape shots of various locations on the island. The reverse of the bills feature paintings from local artists including Robert Bateman. The Salt Spring Dollar is exchanged at par with the

Canadian dollar The Canadian dollar (symbol: $; code: CAD; french: dollar canadien) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, there is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviation Can$ is often suggested by notable style g ...

, and used at very few businesses throughout the island. They were given the distinct symbol $$, to denote ''Salt Spring Island Issued''. The Salt Spring Island Monetary Foundation backs the currency with Canadian dollars.

Sources

Saltspring Dollars WebsiteSaltspring Chamber of Commerce
{{Dollar Local currencies of Canada Salt Spring Island