Status Of Coin Rolls In Canada?

That is what I heard. Apparently they have machines that sort through older coins so that they can get melted down. Sounds like coin hunting is going to get much more difficult up here in the great white north :S

They have been doing this for many many years now.
It's called the Alloy Recovery Program.
Google it or search this forum for more info.

You'd have to buy them from a dealer or on ebay or one of the other sites if you're specifically looking for older years.

Picked up two kinds of 5 cent coin rolls from the bank today. One is the "coin-tainer" variety, light brown in colour. The other is the "Coinage Distribution Inc." brand, white in colour. The light brown packaging gave way to a few nice US nickels and some 70s Canadian nickels and gave me some hope. But, the white packaged "Coinage Distribution Inc." was depressing - not much there at all except very recent coins.

Doesn't sound that bad imo.

This is my comparison between the US and Canada

United States:
Pennies: Easy to obtain, enjoyable, and a good chance in finding older stuff.
Nickels: Easy to obtain, enjoyable, and good chances in finding older stuff and silver.
Dimes: Still easy to obtain, can be boring, but good chances of finding silver.
Quarters: Still easy to obtain, can be very very boring, low chances of finding silver.
Halves: Need the bank to order or customer rolls, less frustrating than quarters, good chances of finding silver.
(Big) Dollars: Mostly loose coins from customer sometimes available for order, interesting when there's a chance, low chances of silver.

Other factors:
The US has more population and more mints and thus in most cases more coins produced per year.
The government does not seem to be picking out old coins.
Has 5 different types of coins available for order from the bank in most cases.


Canada:
Pennies: Extinct like the dodo, although you can get some from the bank if lucky.
Nickels: Easy to obtain, enjoyable, but chances of finding older stuff are not easy due to different portraits on the coins and ARC.
Dimes: Easy to obtain, frustrating, most of the coins are new due to the ARC and different portraits on older coins.
Quarters: Easy to obtain, very frustrating, coins are new due to ARC and different portraits on older coins.
Halves: Extinct, loose coins from customers if lucky, size of the silver coins are different from the newer nickel coins, mostly recycled by the mint.
(Big) Dollars: Extinct, same as the halves.

Other factors:
Although Canada stopped the 10, 25 cent silver coin production later than the US, the volume produced tend to be less than the US as well as the purity (80% later 50%, sterling coins are as rare as a living dodo).
No War Nickels.
The government has the Alloy Recovery Program in place, which has removed nearly all coins produced before 2001 and all halves and dollar coins.
Only 3 different types of coins to order.
Bank wrapped rolls are all brand new due to the ARC.
Halves, which are the main type of coin to search in the States, are extinct in Canada.
Different faces on the observe due to the different monarchs means it is easier to notice and be taken out.

Trust me, coin roll hunting in Canada is not easy and can be very, very frustrating.

You can't get pennies from the banks anymore in Canada. I have talked to several branches and they are not allowed to give clients pennies even if they have them on hand. They are all sent to the mint to get melted down.

I'm trying to apply to an university in Canada for next year's fall term, so this definitely broke my hope of trying CRH