From the Press release:

"In turn, Aeronote certificates allow Aeroplan to participate in the rapidly growing market for gift and pre-paid cards."
Aeronote certificates can be deposited effortlessly online by Aeroplan
Members.
For instance, a merchant can provide an Aeronote certificate at point
of sale on a particular product or service and members simply need their name,Aeroplan number and a serial number located on the certificates to deposit the miles securely into their account online at Aeroplan.com ."

Hopefully, they will extend this type IT improvement to the Air Canada website and allow MCO holders to apply the credit to the online purchase of tickets.