Northern Philately & Postal Service

    On February 12, 2007, Canada Post issued two domestic rate stamps to mark the Fourth International Polar Year, a large scientific program focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009. The animals depicted on these stamps are true Arctic dwellers, a male King Eider bird and a recently discovered brilliant-red deep-sea jellyfish.

    The two-stamp release is a joint project with seven other countries: the United States, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Finland and Greenland. Four million stamps are being printed; 350,000 souvenir sheets of two; and 5,000 gutter strips of eight.

    Of note to Yukoners in particular, envelopes with these stamps are being carried in the Yukon Quest sled dog race on the Whitehorse - Dawson City leg, by each of the 28 teams. These envelopes will be presented to the IPY Canadian national committee at the Yukon launch celebration for International Polar Year on March 1st. The First Day Covers for this issue were cancelled at Igloolik, Nunavut - the cancellation is seen to the right.

    For more information about the stamps and International Polar Year, see the Canada Post and IPY sites.