GLOBE AND MAIL

May 22nd, 1999.

The List

Revel with a cause

It’s not Monopoly money. It’s legal tender – accepted by participating outlets and, just like the loonie, subject to taxes. And it has some bankable names to help raise its profile. Margaret Atwood is at the podium in support of the Toronto Dollar, the new local currency launched last December to benefit the community.  She joins mezzo-soprano Catherine Robbin and pianist William Aide, who perform Brahms, Chopin, Schubert and Irish folksongs.  The Toronto Dollar isn't a new idea - the Swiss do about $3-billion in annual transactions in similar dedicated "currency' and even Ithaca, N.Y., has its own shekels. Once you exchange your Canadian dollars for Toronto Dollars at par, 10 per cent goes to worthwhile projects. June4, 1999 - 8pm, $20, Church of the Holy Trinity, west of the Eaton Centre .