etc.

The following short selection of Canada Post Facts is the result of having spent hours upon hours scouring Canada Post’s webpages over a number of years. It’s a fairly user-centred site (you can Find a Postal Code and Change Your Address Online with a Valid Credit Card, without much ado), but there’s little for someone who wants to know how much tax they pay on postage stamps (that would be me).

So, for my personal edification and your proclivity for useless trivia (only useless, that is, if you don’t use the postal system here, in which case remember these for your next game of Trivial Pursuit or round of bar NTN):

· First, the tax thing: you do not have to pay tax on bulk postage stamps (a book of 10, for example) if you buy them from the same postal outlet that you plan to use them at. That is, buy your stamps at the same place you will post your letters (using the stamps you purchased there) and you won’t pay any tax on the stamps. A simple concept, poorly explained. Suffice it to say that it is better to buy your stamps at a postal outlet than at a convenience store. No indication of this important bit of info on the website, the helpful postal worker at my local outlet told me.

· For parcel post, it usually costs no more than spare change to upgrade the shipping method from surface to air. I can almost GUARANTEE that you will be asked if you’d like to pay the extra 30 cents or whatever to ship by air rather than the surface cost you requested. Within North America, Canada Post tries to discourage surface in favour of air, but it’s your call so if surface is all you need, stand firm. Something else I learned from one of many conversations with aforementioned helpful postal worker.

· You can send a letter (natch) to the Chairman of the Stamp Advisory Committee (@ Canada Post, 2701 Riverside Drive, Suite N0421, OTTAWA ON K1A 0B1) to suggest stamp subjects. They will need at least 2 years lead time. Found this in the press, although it’s probably somewhere on the website, buried nicely.

· Philately (that’s a noun, even though it looks like it should be an adverb) is the study and collection of postage stamps and postmarks. And this has nothing to do with Canada Post in particular.

· Some history: in his position as Deputy Postmaster General in 1753, Benjamin Franklin was responsible for postal services in what is now Canada. Remnant from having read this somewhere. Again, probably on the site if you’re up to looking for it.

· And some trivia: the national postal code system was introduced in 1971. This one I DID find on the website, but it was some time ago and damned if I can find it again.