Charlevoix launched its own currency

To encourage local buying, the Chamber of Commerce of Charlevoix launched the local currency, the chouin, this week to spend on businesses in the region.

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Cabbage is currently approved in over a hundred places and this is already promising.

“A cabbage is worth a dollar. It’s easy, no exchange rate and no speculation. You can buy paper cabbage or you can buy digital cabbage, ”explained Johann Cote, general manager of the Charlevoix Chamber of Commerce.

The project seeks to combat the migration of customers to large centers such as Quebec and to online shopping.

“What we wanted was to be able to keep local money for financial prosperity and we would continue to support local businesses,” Ms. Said Cote.

Customers can order cabbage from the Chamber of Commerce and it is also possible to download this currency to their mobile device. In the long run, we hope to be able to implement counters in this area.

“It is considered a bit like a prepaid card. […] It just changes the way we pay, ”said Ms. Cote mentioned.

To encourage the population to use cabbage, the Chamber of Commerce is offering an introductory promotion that will increase the value of purchased cabbage by 20% up to a maximum of 250,000 cabbage in circulation.

“After that, everyone who goes to buy cabbage will get a 5% discount every time they buy cabbage. So it increases the purchasing power of the people in our area, ”said Johann Cote.

As of Saturday, there are still nearly 70,000 chowins available, a sign that the craze over the new currency is well underway.

Traders are also excited about the project.

“It’s a very bad word, but actually buying locally means buying from someone who comes back to buy from you and you’re going to go back to buy from him,” Julie says. Bouchard, co-owner of Al-Dente. “So the circular economy associated with this is only an advantage. When I see who is participating, many more people will be added, I already know where to spend my cabbage.

The goal is to make the cabbage permanent and the locals will continue to use it for years to come.

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