The exchange rate is 1 US dollar equals 1.31 Canadian dollars. When we buy something we multiply the price by 0.7 to know what we would pay at home. The cost of living is about the same.

Canadians have done a good job with their currency. They eliminated pennies and round the final cost of something to the nearest nickel. They've also done away with paper $1.00 bills. They have nickels, dimes, quarters, and one and two-dollar coins. Paper currency includes $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. Currency has a clear vertical panel, is color-coded, has large numerals for the visually impaired. For people who are blind, the denomination is written in braille in the upper left corner.

Left to right, top to bottom: nickel, dime, quarter, one dollar, two dollar coins

Currency

The clear vertical panel is visible in this $5 bill

The Edmonton Alberta Temple was dedicated December 11, 1999. It's a small temple at 10,600 square feet. The Redlands California Temple is slightly larger at 17,300 square feet. The Salt Lake Temple is 385,000 square feet.

A "cottage meeting" was held this evening in the mission president's home. Five Mandarin-speaking YSA investigators and converts came. There are eight Mandarin-speaking missionaries in Edmonton, four of them from China or Taiwan, who prepared Asian food for the gathering. Brother Spencer, (standing) the Institute Director at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, taught the lesson. It was a nice evening. We hope to have cottage meetings in other homes in the future so that Mandarin YSAs can further integrate into the Church and learn about LDS family life.