CANADA: First-Class Mail by Air

Starting April 1, Canada will send all first-class out-of-town mail by air. Postage rates will be increased from 4¢ to 5¢ for a one-ounce letter, but there will no longer be an additional charge for air delivery; Canada’s 7¢ airmail stamps will be discontinued.

The rate boost will enable Canada’s Post Office to continue its record as a government moneymaker. Only twice since 1933 has the department lost money; its 20-year surplus is nearly $90 million.* The new rates will add some $15,000,000 to postal revenue, help meet rising costs, and keep the department operating in the black.

* The annual deficit of the U.S. Post Office climbed to $727 million last year.