The Canadian dollar is now almost an even exchange with American currency, which is good news for the country’s economy as a whole, but bad news for consumers, who are still paying hefty markups on products like books despite the new strength of the loonie. But relief is on the way: “Last week, some major publishers that distribute U.S. books began to offer retailers 5 per cent discounts to take into account the soaring loonie. That’s on top of publisher reductions of up to 20 per cent last year.”