Issue date: May 23, 2019
From Canada Post’s Details magazine:
With spring in full swing – and camping, canoeing and cottage life just around the corner – you might soon encounter one of Canada’s eight freshwater turtle species. These stamps showcase two species that have been assessed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
In Canada, Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) live in the centre of southwestern Nova Scotia and around the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence region of Ontario and Quebec. Able to survive and reproduce well into their 80s, Blanding’s turtles are among the longest lived of their freshwater kin. However, encroaching development of their freshwater habitat, which includes ponds, marshes and the shorelines of shallow lakes and streams, puts their existence at significant risk.
“I hope this stamp issue inspires people to find out what they can do to help these species flourish and to preserve their habitat.”
—Adrian Horvath, stamp designer
Canadian populations of the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) are now found only in isolated pockets around central and southern Ontario. Once much more common, the province’s smallest turtle, which carries a shell that’s less than 13 centimetres long, is a victim of habitat loss and collection for the illegal pet trade. The tiny, hardy reptile survives the long, cold winters by hibernating, singly or communally, in the mud at the bottom of ice-covered wetlands or in underwater burrows.
Creatively presented by designer Adrian Horvath and illustrator Sarah Still, the images on these stamps blend beauty and accuracy – qualities that Still argues go hand in hand. “I’ve always enjoyed realism and highly detailed work. I believe nature already provides us with beautiful subjects. It’s my pleasure to help others see them as I do,” she says.
“I wanted these turtles to pop off the stamp,” says Horvath. The real challenge, he added, was finding a way to break the subjects out of the stamp frame in a way that worked in every application – as 10 stamps in a booklet, as a single stamp on a letter, and as a bound (se-tenant) duo on the Official First Day Cover and souvenir sheet.
According to COSEWIC, habitat loss, road mortality and illegal collection are among the biggest threats to the two species featured on these stamps. Since turtles are exceptionally long-living creatures that breed as slowly as they move, the loss of even a single adult is devastating.
“I want people to be in awe of these beautiful creatures – and to enjoy the playfulness of the stamps,” says Horvath. “I hope this stamp issue inspires people to find out what they can to help these species flourish and to preserve their habitat.”
Updated May 23rd:
[press release]
New Stamps Call Attention to Plight of Endangered Turtles
Blanding’s and spotted turtles come out of their shells for latest issue
OTTAWA, May 23, 2019 – Canada Post today released stamps featuring two species of endangered turtles.
The Blanding’s turtle is found in central-southwest Nova Scotia and in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence region of southern Ontario and southwestern Quebec. Although the spotted turtle now inhabits only isolated pockets of central and southern Ontario, it was likely once distributed more widely. Like all eight of Canada’s freshwater turtle species, these species play a vital role in the wetland ecosystems they inhabit as predators of insects and other invertebrates and as scavengers that consume dead plants and animals. These turtles have been assessed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
Did you know?
- The Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) has a mouth that curves slightly upward, making it appear as if it is always smiling.
- Blanding’s turtles hibernate from fall until early spring, partially burying themselves in the mud or sand at the bottom of shallow bodies of water that become ice covered.
- They are one of the longest-lived freshwater turtles, able to survive and reproduce well into their 80s.
- The spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) is one of Ontario’s smallest turtle species, with a shell less than 13 cm in length.
- Spotted turtles are the first of Ontario’s turtle species to emerge from hibernation in early spring, thanks to their tolerance for cold.
- Slow to mature, they may be capable of living for more than 100 years.
Blanding’s and spotted turtles both reproduce slowly, so every individual lost has a severe impact on the overall population. For this reason, the mortality of turtles on roadways poses a significant threat to both species. Other threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive plants affecting their habitats, and illegal collection. Thanks to conservation efforts, however, there is still hope for their recovery.
These stunning stamps, designed by Adrian Horvath and illustrated by Sarah Still, are available in booklets of 10. The Official First Day Cover is cancelled in Maitland Bridge, Nova Scotia, near the province’s Blanding’s turtle population.
Our country’s traditional desserts offer more than just a scrumptious way to end a meal – their origins are a tasty part of our history. These stamps give you a chance to discover the sweet stories behind some of our favourite treats.
a recipe card-inspired design that shows a truly satisfying slice of creativity.
antioxidants. Their name is derived from the Cree word misâskwatômina, which also inspired the name of the city of Saskatoon, meaning “at the Saskatoon berry.”
A staple of Quebec patisseries, sugar pie (4) (tarte au sucre) traces its origins to France. Colonists brought the recipe for the pie along with them – but since brown sugar was a rare commodity in New France, early French-Canadian versions used maple syrup as a sweetener.
A First World War pilot, William George Barker, VC, who remains the most decorated member of the military in the history of Canada and the British Empire. Barker flew more than 900 combat hours between 1916 and 1918 and is credited with 50 victories over enemy aircraft.
Aviation pioneer and bush pilot C.H. “Punch” Dickins, who logged more than 1.6 million kilometres flying over northern Canada. The First World War flying ace and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient made the first reconnaissance flight across the unmapped Barren Lands of the Northwest Territories.
Elizabeth “Elsie” MacGill, who was the first woman in Canada to receive a degree in electrical engineering, and first in the world to hold a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering and to work as a professional aircraft designer. She was dubbed “Queen of the Hurricanes” in a wartime comic book for her work in overseeing design refinements and production of Hawker Hurricanes. The fighter plane was a stalwart workhorse in the Second World War, and especially the Battle of Britain.
The Lazair, a family of twin-engine, high-wing ultralight monoplanes designed by Dale Kramer of Port Colborne, Ontario. Manufactured as kits in Canada between 1979 and 1985, the Lazair is still considered one of the best light aircraft ever made. Kramer received the Roméo Vachon Award in 1983 for outstanding contribution to the development of aeronautics in Canada.
The twin-engine, supersonic Avro CF-105 Arrow interceptor, which could fly at more than twice the speed of sound. It is considered one of the greatest technological achievements in Canadian aviation history. Some of its innovative technologies are still in use today.
Christina Tessier, President and CEO of 
traditional choice for wedding bouquets, corsages and boutonnières. In the days of the Victorians, the gifting of a gardenia conveyed a tender message to one’s beloved for those too shy to do so in person.
For added convenience for use on wedding invitations and stationery, the stamps are available in booklets of 10, with five of each design, or coils of 50 offering 25 of each design. A two-stamp souvenir sheet is available for collectors, along with strips of four and 10 stamps from the coil. An Official First Day Cover featuring both stamps is cancelled in Flower’s Cove, N.L. The stamps were designed by Andrew Conlon and Lionel Gadoury of Context Creative, with art by Chantal Larocque, inspired by a photo by Natasha V. The booklet, souvenir sheet and Official First Day Cover were printed by Colour Innovations and the coils printed by the Lowe-Martin Group.
OTTAWA – Étant donné le nombre de timbres floraux utilisés par les futurs mariés sur les faire-part, il semble tout indiqué que Postes Canada ait choisi pour son émission annuelle une fleur traditionnellement associée à l’amour. Portant un parfum enivrant, le délicat gardénia blanc crème a longtemps orné les bouquets de mariage et de corsage ainsi que les boutonnières. À l’époque victorienne, les grands timides l’offraient pour exprimer leur tendresse à la personne aimée.
TORONTO, Jan. 24, 2019 /CNW/ – Tomorrow, Canada Post will issue a stamp honouring Albert Jackson, thought to be the first Black letter carrier in Canada. Jackson earned his appointment to the civil service in 1882, but faced racism from his colleagues, media and members of the public as he pursued what ultimately turned out to be a successful 36-year career with the postal service.
Growing up in Toronto, Jackson was able to pursue his education and, as an adult, he competed for and won a position as a letter carrier in 1882. However, when he reported for work his co-workers refused to train him and he was assigned a lower job as hall porter. After political pressure, particularly from Toronto’s Black community, and intervention from Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, Jackson was soon out walking his delivery route in Harbord Village, where a laneway has since been named after him.
OTTAWA, Jan. 14, 2019 /CNW/ – Canada Post issued a new stamp paying tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, bearing a 2017 photo of the Queen taken in Portsmouth, England, by Chris Jackson. Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on Canadian stamps since the coronation issue was released in May 1953 – and was also featured on several stamps while still a Princess during the reigns of both King George V and King George VI.
Note that the C is NOT underlined on booklets that DO NOT have the security feature underprint.
This series continues to invite Canadians to seek out this country’s most picturesque places.
Canada Post has issued the second set of stamps in the multiyear From Far and Wide series – its name inspired by a line in the lyrics of “O Canada” – that promises to take Canadians on an armchair journey to some of the most breathtaking and memorable must-see locations.
Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon
The Permanent domestic stamps are available in booklets of 10 (two of each image) and coils of 100, while the U.S.-rate, Oversized-rate and International-rate denominations are available in booklets of six and coils of 50. The issue also includes a souvenir sheet and several other formats for collectors, as well as an Official First Day Cover, cancelled in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, the location featured on one of the Permanent stamps. The issue was designed by Stéphane Huot of Montréal and printed by the Lowe-Martin Group.
MARKHAM, ON – Canada Post rings in the Lunar New Year with a two-stamp issue on January 18, the 11th in its current 12-year series. In honour of the Year of the Pig, the stamps feature Zhu Bajie, or Pigsy, a character from the celebrated 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West.
a traditional gummed pane of 25 domestic-rate stamps, featuring four Chinese blessings; and
