Bank of Canada Museum

The team at the Bank of Canada's Museum are amazing. Picture

What a spot, and it's free! I was able to explore the economic lives of Canadians, travel through the history of money and discover the role of the Bank of Canada in helping the Canadian economy run smoothly. In the foyer of the museum is a Yap stone. It is a kind of currency, an ancient symbol of wealth.

The video wall in Zone 1 was particularly impressive. You could select an item and examine both sides of it on the screen, or learn more about it and how it was used. Every few minutes a new set of artifacts was presented to you. Also in Zone 1, each museum participant creates an avatar, and the avatar helps you participate in the virtual activities throughout the museum. There was some good information on Bitcoin, which is less of a mystery to me now. Then through the immersive entrance and I came to Zone 2.

Zone 2 is all about the economy, and sets the scene for the need for banks and currency. It is about Supply and Demand, Consumer expectations, Spending and Saving, Industry, Manufacture and Exports. I was able to compare my spending habits with those of the average Canadian, or by province, and then my anonymous data was added to the collection to aid future comparison.

In Zone 3, which was about the work of the Bank of Canada, I saw network theory in action in the pipes and tanks of the banking model. I studied a one hundred trillion dollar note from Zimbabwe.

Zone 4 was about making sense of money. I got a sense of the evolution of Money over time, geographical perspectives and money from all over the world, including a few Australian pieces.

In Zone 5, before I left the Museum, I got to watch a video on how what I do with my money effects the economy, and to make my own banknote.

After the tour, I went with Heather and Caroline to the classroom space where I was allowed to play with money - most notable a beaver fur, playing cards and small shells. I also saw a board game made to explain interest.

I a very grateful for the team from the Bank of Canada for their time and hospitality.