On today’s date in 2017, Canadian Paralympic and Olympic athletes joined Canada Post in unveiling the final two Canada 150 commemorative stamps, these in honour of Canadian athletes and the country’s success in hosting the Paralympic and Olympic Games.
The unveiling, which took place at the Canada Post Pacific Processing Centre on 5940 Ferguson Rd. in Richmond, B.C., also marked the official release of the 10-stamp Canada 150 set, which saw its first unveiling in April 2017.
The ninth Canada 150 stamp features Lauren Woolstencroft, a former para-alpine skier and the first Canadian winter Paralympian to win five gold medals at a single Games.
Two months later, Canadian Paralympic legends Arnold Boldt and Lauren Woolstencroft unveiled a stamp celebrating Canada’s achievements in the Paralympic movement as well as Canada’s role as host of two Paralympic Games—in Toronto in 1976 and Vancouver in 2010.
Boldt is a six-time Paralympian who won eight medals in high jump and long jump as well as seven gold medals.
Woolstencroft, a former para-alpine skier and the first Canadian winter Paralympian to win five gold medals at a single Games, is featured on the Paralympic stamp.
Canadian high-jump legend and Olympic silver medallist Greg Joy, along with Joannie Rochette, Olympic bronze medallist in figure skating, unveiled a separate stamp commemorating Canada’s success as a three-time host of the Olympic Games—the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montréal, the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The Olympic stamp features a triumphant Alexandre Bilodeau after winning the men’s moguls event in Vancouver and capturing Canada’s first Olympic gold medal on Canadian soil.
LASTING LEGACIES & MEMORIES
The final Canada 150 stamp depicts Alexandre Bilodeau after winning the men’s mogul event at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games held in Canada inspired a nation, left an indelible mark on our country, and showcased Canada to the world.
They produced iconic Canadian moments and influenced generations of current, former and up-and-coming Olympians.
Thousands of Canadians participated in the Olympic and Paralympic torch relays that toured through communities across Canada, allowing people of all ages and athletic abilities to have their own special Games moment.
10 STAMPS
The official first-day cover (OFDC) for the Paralympic stamp features the Olympic flame from each of the three Olympics hosted by Canada.
On May 31, 2017, the eighth Canada 150 stamp was unveiled in Winnipeg by various players from the iconic Team Canada that defeated the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series.
The seventh stamp was unveiled a day earlier in Iqaluit in honour the 1999 creation of Nunavut.
On May 25, the set’s sixth stamp was unveiled in St John’s to commemorate Terry Fox’s 5,373-kilometre Marathon of Hope.
On May 16, the fifth stamp was unveiled in commemoration of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The fourth stamp, this honouring the 2005 passing of the Civil Marriage Act, was unveiled 0n May 8 in Toronto.
A day prior, the series’ third stamp was unveiled by Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen in celebration of the Canadarm.
The set’s second stamp, this in commemoration of the Constitution and Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, was unveiled on May 3 on Parliament Hill.
The first Canada 150 stamp was unveiled in Montréal on April 27 by Habitat 67 architect Moshe Safdie in honour of Expo 67.
Each of the 10 maple-leaf shaped die-cut Permanent domestic-rate stamps measures 40 millimetres by 40millimetres and is printed in six colours plus tagging. The self-adhesive stamps are available in booklets of 10 stamps (for a total of four million stamps). A gummed pane of 10 stamps was also issued.
The OFDC for the 10th stamp features Paralympic Nordic skier Brian McKeever guided by his brother Robin.
Official first-day covers, one for each stamp design and each cancelled in Ottawa, were also available in packs of 10 covers (with a total of 10,000 packs). The series was designed by Roy White and Liz Wurzinger, of Subplot Design in Vancouver, B.C., and printed by the Lowe-Martin Group.
For more information, visit canadapost.ca/canada150.