On the Road Again: Canadian Highway Landmarks Land Their Own Stamps

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Jul 06 (MARKET WIRE) --
Today, Canada Post is taking Canadians on a cross-country journey
celebrating four great Canadian Roadside Attractions along the way. The
first of the three-year series begins in Northern and Western Canada with
the Watson Lake Signpost Forest in Yukon; the Inukshuk in Hay River,
Northwest Territories; British Columbia's Mr. PG in Prince George; and
the "Pysanka", massive Easter egg in Vegreville, Alberta. Next year's
stamps will celebrate central Canada while the 2011 series will focus on
Eastern Canada.

"You're certain to remember them from your summer road trip through
Canada," says Robert Waite, chairman of the Stamp Advisory Committee and
senior vice-president, Corporate Social Responsibility at Canada Post
"They're colourful and fun and they capture the character of the
communities that raised them."

This first edition will feature roadside attractions that pique tourists'
interest as they travel our land to the west. Mr. PG is an eight-metre
high log man raised in 1960 in Prince George to recognize forestry's
important role in the city's history. A second stamp features the
Signpost Forest, in Watson Lake, Yukon. The first signs were raised in
1942, by a homesick US G.I. to point his way home. Today, more than
64,000 signs are posted. The stunning inukshuk outside Hay River in the
Northwest Territories illustrates the stone giants' purpose in guiding
travellers in Canada's north. Finally there is the Pysanka, the largest
Easter egg in the world, created to honour Vegreville, Alberta's large
Ukrainian-Canadian community. Beautifully decorated Easter eggs are a
tradition among Ukrainians worldwide.

"They're all iconic in their own way," says designer Fraser Ross, noting
the stamps' lively colour scheme creates an animated vibrancy. "This
quality highlights the originality and quirkiness of these attractions.
They're so much fun and we wanted the stamps to speak to that."

The 54-cent stamps measure 35 mm x 41 mm (vertically) with kiss-cut
perforations and a pressure sensitive gum type will be available in
booklets of eight. Also available is a souvenir sheet of four-stamps
measuring 95 mm x 109 mm vertically with 13+ perforations with a PVA gum
type. Lowe-Martin printed 4 million stamps for the eight-stamp booklets
and 250,000 for the souvenir sheets. The stamps will be printed using
lithography in seven colours plus varnish on Tullis Russell paper and are
general tagged on four sides. The Official First Day Cover will bear the
cancel Prince George BC.

Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the News
section of Canada Post's website, and photos of these new stamps are also
available. Stamps and other products will be available at participating
post offices, or can be ordered online by following the links at Canada
Post's website www.canadapost.ca/collection, or by mail order from the
National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA, call toll-free: 1
800 565-4362, and from other countries, call: 902 863-6550.

Contacts:
Canada Post
Nicole Lemire
613-734-8888
nicole.lemire@canadapost.ca

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