1963 Postal Bi-Centennial First Land Route

Following the Treaty of Paris of 1763, in which Canada was ceded to Great Britain, Benjamin Franklin and John Foxcroft, joint Deputy Postmasters General, made arrangements for the establishment of postal service between Québec, Trois-Rivières and Montréal and between those cities and New York.




The stamp to commemorate the bi-centennial of the first land route of the Canadian Post Offices was designed by James Reddie and issued on September 25, 1963.

Essays


National Archives of Canada


National Archives of Canada


National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

James Reddie Essays


National Archives of Canada


National Archives of Canada

First Day Covers















Canada Post Office Announcement Cover


Canadian Post Office first day cover. The CPO used "Rosecraft" envelopes to announce the release of the First Land Route stamp. This announcement was mailed to Jamaica.




Trois-Rivières
















Usages

Domestic Forward Letter


RCAF Station Lac St. Denis to Quebec, October 25, 1963
5 cents domestic forward letter rate



Toronto to Norwich, October 23, 1963
5 cents forward letter rate + 10 cents special delivery fee



Markdale to Toronto, October 4, 1963
5 cents forward letter rate + 20 cents registration fee
"AR" in manuscript


Surface Letter to the US


Powell River to Atlanta, November 28, 1963
The second weight step rate was 8 cents (5 cents 1st ounce + 3 cents next ounce)
Shortpaid 3 cents and taxed 6 cents (double the deficiency)
The letter contained 10 pennies and was damaged in transit. An "Officially Repaired" label was affixed at Powell River:




International Surface Letter : Preferred Rate


Victoria to Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, October 21, 1963
5 cents preferred surface letter rate to the United Kingdom

Canadian Domestic Letter/Post Card Rates:
From 1972
Canadian domestic letter rates increased from 8 cents to 46 cents in the last quarter of the twentieth century. This post looks at the first weight step rate changes from 1972.

(Domestic post cards have been treated as letters since November 1, 1968.)


8 cents : January 1, 1972 - August 31 1976


Lawrence Park Collegiate, Toronto, M1P 4T0 to Toronto, May 6, 1976
8 cents letter rate


10 cents : September 1, 1976 - April 31, 1977


Conestogo to Waterloo, September 8, 1976
10 cents letter rate


12 cents: March 1, 1977 - March 31, 1978


Parry Sound to Toronto, April 5, 1977
12 cents letter rate


14 cents : April 1, 1978 - March 31, 1979


London, March 6, 1979
14 cents letter rate


17 cents (up to 1 ounce) :
April 1, 1979 - June 30, 1979


Ottawa (House of Commons) to Welland, May 9, 1979
17 cent letter rate for one ounce


17 cents (up to 30 grams) :
July 1, 1979 - December 31, 1981

Letter weights were now measured in grams.


Mount Bridges to London, Ocotber 19, 1981
17 cents letter rate for 30 grams



30 cent : January 1, 1982 - February 14, 1983

"A" Stamp

Canada Post anticipating it would increase the letter rate from 17 cents but unsure what the change would be printed stamps with the Letter "A" without denomination. The "A" stamps were issued on December 29, 1981, with a value of 30 cents. The 30 cent denominated stamps were issued on May 11, 1981.



Toronto to Weston, March 17, 1982
30 cents letter rate
"A" stamp used in period



Fort Erie to Guelph, February 8, 1983
30 cents letter rate


32 cents : February 15, 1983 - June 23 1985


Ottawa (Senate Post Office) to Montreal, April 12, 1984
32 cents letter rate


Kentville to Niagara Falls, August 30, 1984
8 cent booklet stamps paying the 32 cents domestic letter rate


34 cents : June 24, 1985 - March 31, 1987


Ottawa to Outremont, July 26, 1986
34 cents letter rate



36 cents : April 1, 1987 - December 31, 1987


Ingersoll to Kitchener, December 8, 1987
36 cents letter rate


37 cents : January 1, 1988 - December 31, 1988



Port Hope to Cobourg, December 22 , 1988


38 cents : January 1, 1989 - December 31, 1989


Truro to Toronto, October 10, 1989
38 cents letter rate


39 cents : January 1, 1990 - December 31, 1990


Willowdale to Hamilton, December 19, 1990
39 cents letter rate


40 cents : January 1, 1991 - December 31, 1991


North Bay to Toronto, June 6, 1991
40 cents letter rate


42 cents : January 1, 1992 - December 31, 1992


Stratford to St. John's, September 11, 1992
42 cents letter rate


43 cents : January 1, 1993 - July 30, 1995


Chester to Georgetown, August 22, 1994
43 cents letter rate


45 cents : August 1, 1995 - December 31, 1998


Toronto (M4L 3T0) to Don Mills, May 9, 1996
45 cents letter rate


46 cents : January 1, 1999 - December 31, 2000



Squamous to Mississauga, August 10, 1999
46 cents letter rate to end the 20th Century


47 cents : January 1, 2001 - January 13, 2002



Canada V6B 3A0 (Vancouver) to Vancouver, May 29, 2001
47 cents domestic first weight postal rate


48 cents : January 14, 2002 - January 13, 2004



NATO Forces, CFPO 5048 Casteau, Belgium, July 30, 2003
48 cents first weight surface postal rate


49 cents : January 14, 2004 - January 16, 2005
Canada V6B 3A0 (Montreal) to Lancaster, September 27, 2004
49 cents domestic first weight postal rate