Ottawa, August 29, 2001 - The National Archives of Canada, in cooperation with Canada Post, will launch the Canadian Postal Archives Web site at 12 p.m. August 31 at 395 Wellington Street.

The new Canadian Postal Archives Web site - accessible at www.collectionscanada.ca - will contain the first 5,000 philatelic documents which have been digitized for easier access by all Canadians. The site will be fully developed over the next three years to reflect the core philatelic archival collection and library of the National Archives and eventually contain some 16,000 digitized items.

This new site would not have been possible without the support and cooperation of Canada Post.

The Canadian Postal Archives Web site will provide a single point of entry, in both official languages, to information on stamps and postal history. It will contain information on the history and production of each stamp issued by Canada since 1851. There will also be descriptions of more than 30,000 documents from philatelic collections, as well as thematic virtual exhibitions and a research device accessible by both visual and keyword screens.

Visitors to the Canadian Postal Archives Web site will also be able to link to related sites such as Canada Post, the Canadian Postal Museum, the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada and the British North America Philatelic Society.

The launch of the Web site coincides with the annual conference of the British North America Philatelic Society meeting, which is taking place in Ottawa from August 31 to September 2.