Canada Post’s Let’s Take the Ferry! stamps issued July 12

By Molly Goad

On July 12, Canada Post issued five stamps in a set called Let’s Take the Ferry!

In the June-July issue of its publication Details, Canada Post said the nondenominated, permanent-rate (currently 92¢) stamps are a tribute to the role ferries have played in Canada’s waterways.

“Harkening back to a more leisurely mode of travel, these stamps, featuring Canadian ferries still in service, are sure to inspire both nostalgia and wanderlust,” Canada Post said.

The Let’s Take the Ferry! set features five different ships.

The first stamp shows the Spirit of British Columbia, built in 1993. This ferry can transport 2,100 passengers and crew, plus more than 350 vehicles, on a 95-minute scenic route that crosses the Salish Sea, connecting Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia.

The second stamp shows the ferry named Chi-Cheemaun, which means “big canoe” in Ojibwe. This vessel crosses Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay between Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island.

Chi-Cheemaun was built in 1974, and operates from May to October, servicing up to 643 passengers and roughly 150 vehicles.

The next stamp shows the rare side-wheeled paddle steamer Trillium. Launched in 1910, the ship was retired in 1956 but returned to service in 1976 after a two-year restoration. Trillium carries up to 800 passengers between Toronto, Ontario, and the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario.

The Alphonse-Desjardins, built in 1971, is shown on the fourth stamp. This ferry provides a year-round connection across the St. Lawrence River between two cities in Quebec: Quebec City and Levis. It can house up to 590 passengers and more than 50 vehicles.

Finally, the fifth stamp depicts the Grand Manan V ferry. This ship was built in 1990 and travels in some of the world’s highest tides.

The Grand Manan V carries up to 300 people and 60 vehicles to Grand Manan, the largest island in the Bay of Fundy. The bay is located between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; Grand Manan is part of the former province.

The issue also includes a souvenir sheet with the five stamps se-tenant (side-by-side) and an official first-day cover franked with the souvenir sheets.

All products were designed by Context Creative. Photo credits are as follows: Spirit of British Columbia, BC Ferries; Chi-Cheemaun, Rob Boyce; Trillium, George Socka; Alphonse-Desjardins, Eric Massicotte; and Grand Manan V, Bill Jarvis.

Lowe-Martin printed the stamps by six-color lithography in a booklet of 10 (two of each design) and by five-color lithography in the souvenir sheet. The quantities printed were 200,000 booklets and 60,000 souvenir sheets.

Canada Post produced 7,000 FDCs canceled in Tobermory, Ontario. The FDC product number is 404229144.

The Canada Post product numbers are 414229111 for the booklet of 10, 404229145 for the souvenir sheet, and 404229144 for the FDC.

The items are available from Canada Post’s online store; by mail order from Canada Post Customer Service, Box 90022, 2701 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, ON K1V 1J8 Canada; or by telephone from U.S. or Canada at 800-565-4362, and from other countries at 902-863-6550.

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