A strong Canadian dollar has led to an increase in cross-border traffic, as Canadians come south looking for relative bargains, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The Victoria Clipper has seen a 25 percent increase in summer traffic coming from Victoria, and Costco Wholesale has seen more Canadians at its Bellingham warehouse. Bellis Fair Mall is also seeing an increase in traffic, according to the paper.

The loonie, as the Canadian dollar is nicknamed for the loon on its face, has now achieved parity with the U.S. dollar, its highest exchange rate since 1977.