Dan Abel wrote:

> I guess I'm showing my age. I remember when they were always exactly
> equal. The Canadians pegged their currency to the US currency.
>
> [oops, Wiki says I lie:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_dollar
>
> ]
>
> I guess I remember when they *did* peg it, at US$.925 per Canadian
> dollar, in 1960, when I was still in grade school.
>
> I grew up 150 miles from Canada, and my city was the nearest major
> shopping for many Canadians. When it was back to school time, there
> were lots of Canadian license plates in the parking lots of the big
> shopping centers.


During the 60s it fluctuated near par, sometimes over a $US and
sometimes under. I live about 15 miles from the border and we use to
cross to shop for better prices and better selection. Most of the bars
and restaurants near the border accepted Canadian money at par. When our
dollar dropped under $0.85 they stopped that. When it was under 0.70 is
wasn't worth the trip for us, but Americans started coming over here. A
lot of things are the same price. CDs, computers, programs, jeans etc.
are usually the same price. Even when out dollar was under 70 cents US
most produce was the same price, so there were no bargains on that
stuff. Dairy products, even imported cheeses tend to be a lot less.


I remember one time in 1966 <?> my mother gave me $25 to get a pair of
penny loafers. Our dollar was about $1.10 at the time. I took the bus to
Niagara Falls, walked over the bridge, got a pair of Thom McCan penny
loafers, a pair of Levi jeans and a shirt, and I had enough left over to
get a hamburger and a beer. I was only 16. The drinking age here was 21,
but was 18 in NY, and we never had any problems being served. Now the
drinking age here is 19 and 21 in NY, so the American kids spend their
allowance in our bars.