![The new Canadian 20 dollar bill made of polymer is displayed at the Bank of Canada in Ottawa Canadian 20 dollar bill](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/canadian-20-dollars.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
People in Canada are cutting $20 and $20 bills in half and using them as new currency.
According to CBC News, people in Quebec’s Gaspé region are cutting bills like $20 and $10 and using them for half the amount.
They are calling it a new currency by the name, “demi.” Local stores and residents have starting using and accepting them, with half a $20 bill worth $10.
The trend is not illegal, but the Bank of Canada is frowning on the practice.
“The Bank of Canada feels that writing and markings on bank notes or mutilating them [is] inappropriate as they are a symbol of our country and a source of national pride,” Bank of Canada spokeswoman Josianne Ménard said in a statement to CBC News.
[CBC News]
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