OTTAWA, March 31, 2005 -- They can be fixed or moveable; made from timber, steel, concrete or cable; they are beamed, trussed, arched or suspended. Each is a construction feat that allows its users to cross obstacles large and small. On April 2, Canada Post will issue four new stamps honouring the engineering marvel that is the bridge. The four bridges pictured on the stamps are: the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge, the Canso Causeway, the Jacques-Cartier Bridge and the Souris Swinging Bridge. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Angus L. Macdonald suspension bridge was opened on April 2, 1955. The 1.3 km-long bridge carries an average of more than 35,000 cars a day to and from Halifax and Dartmouth. Prior to the completion of the Canso Causeway in 1955, Cape Breton Island and mainland Nova Scotia were completely separated by the Strait of Canso. The 1.6 km-long (24.4 meters wide) man-made causeway is known as the deepest in the world and has taken care of traffic and communication problems along with having a tremendous impact on the economy of the strait region. Opened on May 24, 1930, the 3.4 km-long Jacques-Cartier Bridge (or the Harbour Bridge, as it was known then) crosses the St. Lawrence Seaway, joining the cities of Montréal and Longueuil, Québec. Approximately 43 million vehicles cross the bridge every year. The longest of its kind in Canada, the Souris Swinging Bridge gives pedestrians a footpath across Manitoba's Souris River. The 177-metre bridge was built in 1903 to connect two margins of the Souris River and was rebuilt in 1977 after being destroyed in the flood of 1976. The four stamps were designed by Designwerke Inc. of Toronto. Stephen Boake is the creative director, André Perro the senior designer and Sid Tabak, the photographer. "The concept of a bridge viewed from a first-person perspective is one that many people can relate to," explains Mr. Boake. "We all have an understanding of how large and expansive a bridge can be, however, it is from a more intimate view that we experience bridges daily. We treat bridges as a continuation of the terrain without considering the engineering marvels they are, or were, at their time of construction. We simply travel along them, not considering how they have expanded our worlds." Mr. Boake adds that the design team, "tried to capture the feeling of the subject in each of the stamps: the frantic energy of crossing the Jacques-Cartier Bridge by car during rush-hour in Montréal; a runner on an early morning outing on the Souris "Swinging Bridge" as the sun burns off the mist on the water; a sailor taking advantage of the breeze off the Atlantic Ocean as he maneuvers under the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge; the swing bridge in the Causeway opens to let boats and their cargos of people and goods through." Available for sale at post offices across the country on April 2, 2005, the stamps measure 56 mm x 26 mm, and will be sold in a pane of 16 stamps (4 stamps se tenant). Canadian Bank Note printed 5 million of the pressure- sensitive stamps, using 10-colour lithography, Tullis Russell Coatings paper. The stamp is general tagged on all four sides. The Official First Day Cover will read MONTREAL, QUEBEC and HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA. Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the Newsroom section of Canada Post's website, and a downloadable high-resolution photo of the bridges stamps are in the Newsroom's Photo Centre. Stamps and Official First Day covers will be available at participating post offices, can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post's website www.canadapost.ca , 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. - 30 - For further information: François Legault Ottawa Tel.: (613) 734-8888
