Residents in Quebec's Gaspé region are cutting Canadian bills in half to create a new local currency called the "demi." $5, $10 and $20 bills, cut down the middle and has been circulated by local users. Residents and some local merchants have been using them, accepting their value as half of the original bill.

The Bank of Canada says the practice isn't illegal, but also isn't advisable."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 written statement.