Letter Mail Regulations
SOR/88-430
Registration 1988-08-25
Regulations Respecting Letter Mail
P.C. 1988-1697 1988-08-25
Whereas a copy of proposed Regulations respecting first class mail, substantially in the form annexed hereto, was published in the Canada Gazette Part I on May 14, 1988 and a reasonable opportunity was thereby afforded to interested persons to make representations to the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs with respect thereto;
Therefore, Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, pursuant to subsection 17(1) of the Canada Post Corporation ActFootnote *, is pleased hereby to approve the revocation of the Domestic First Class Mail Regulations, C.R.C., c. 1278, and to approve the annexed Regulations respecting first class mail, made by the Canada Post Corporation, effective January 1, 1989.
Return to footnote *S.C.1980-81-82-83, c. 54
Short Title
1 These Regulations may be cited as the Letter Mail Regulations.
- SOR/90-801, s. 2
- SOR/2003-382, s. 21(F)
Interpretation
2 In these Regulations,
- carbonizing
carbonizing[Repealed, SOR/91-625, s. 1]
- delivery mode
delivery mode[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- delivery mode scheme
delivery mode scheme[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- domestic basic letter rate
domestic basic letter rate means the standard domestic letter rate available generally to the public for standard mail weighing up to 30 g; (tarif de base des lettres du régime intérieur)
- first class mail
first class mail[Repealed, SOR/90-801, s. 3]
- foldover construction self-mailer
foldover construction self-mailer[Repealed, SOR/91-625, s. 1]
- forward sortation area
forward sortation area[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- frequent posting
frequent posting[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- identical items
identical items[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- infrequent posting
infrequent posting[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- letter mail
letter mail means
(a) a letter, card, postcard or similar communication,
(b) a receipt, invoice or similar article of a financial nature, and
(c) any other article the sender chooses to post at a rate for letter mail
that is posted in Canada for delivery in Canada and meets the requirements of these Regulations; (envoi poste-lettres)
- local delivery unit
local delivery unit[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- multi-web construction self-mailer
multi-web construction self-mailer[Repealed, SOR/91-625, s. 1]
- optical character reader
optical character reader or OCR[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- postal code
postal code[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- reduced consumer price index factor
reduced consumer price index factor[Repealed, SOR/2009-286, s. 1]
- rural forward sortation area
rural forward sortation area[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- self-mailer
self-mailer means any article, other than a card, postcard, magazine or catalogue, that does not have an outer cover, wrapping or envelope in addition to the paper or other material on which the written communication is placed; (envoi à découvert)
- single posting
single posting[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- urban forward sortation area
urban forward sortation area[Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 1]
- SOR/88-613, s. 1
- SOR/90-13, s. 1
- SOR/90-801, s. 3
- SOR/91-625, s. 1
- SOR/96-448, s. 1
- SOR/2000-221, s. 1
- SOR/2003-382, ss. 19(E), 21(F)
- SOR/2009-286, s. 1
Rates of Postage
3 (1) The rates set out in subitem 1(1) of the schedule apply to an item of letter mail that meets the applicable requirements for standard mail.
(2) [Repealed, SOR/2004-294, s. 1]
(3) The rates set out in item 2 of the schedule apply to an item of letter mail other than an item referred to in subsections (1) and (8).
(4) to (7) [Repealed, SOR/2009-286, s. 2]
(8) The rate set out in item 3 of the schedule applies to an item of letter mail other than an item referred to in subsections (1) and (3).
- SOR/88-613, s. 2
- SOR/90-801, s. 4
- SOR/91-625, s. 2
- SOR/2000-221, s. 2
- SOR/2001-178, s. 1
- SOR/2001-443, s. 1
- SOR/2003-382, s. 21(F)
- SOR/2004-294, s. 1
- SOR/2009-5, s. 1
- SOR/2009-141, s. 1
- SOR/2009-286, s. 2
4 [Repealed, SOR/91-636, s. 1]
General Conditions
5 (1) Every item of letter mail shall be securely wrapped with sufficient cushioning and reinforcing material as required to prevent loss of or damage to the item, damage to postal equipment or other mail and injury to persons handling the item.
(2) Every envelope or self-mailer shall be sealed except an item referred to in item 2 of the schedule.
- SOR/90-801, s. 5
- SOR/91-625, s. 3
- SOR/2003-382, s. 21(F)
6 Nothing shall appear on the right side of the face of a postcard except
(a) the name and address of the addressee;
(b) the applicable postage stamp; and
(c) such postal endorsement or label as is necessary to facilitate delivery of the postcard.
7 [Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 2]
Standard Mail
8 (1) The following articles shall not be enclosed in an item of standard mail, namely,
(a) bottle caps;
(b) coins;
(c) foodstuffs;
(d) glass;
(e) jewellery;
(f) keys;
(g) liquids;
(h) pencils;
(i) pens;
(j) powders;
(k) seeds; and
(l) any other articles that are fragile or perishable, can soil or damage other mail or postal equipment or can cause injury to persons handling them.
(2) An item of mailable matter shall not be accepted for transmission by post as standard mail if
(a) a staple is attached to the outer cover;
(b) it has a pin-feed hole strip attached thereto when in the form of a self-mailer; or
(c) it consists of a punched or perforated card that is not enclosed in an envelope.
- SOR/90-13, s. 3(F)
- SOR/2000-199, s. 28
9 (1) An item of standard mail shall be rectangular in shape and have a minimum length to width ratio of 1.3:1 and a maximum length to width ratio of 2.6:1.
(2) [Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 4]
- SOR/90-13, s. 4
- SOR/95-306, s. 1
10 An item of standard mail, when supported by two level supports located 10 mm from the left and right edges of the item, shall not sag more than 22 mm from its horizontal plane.
- SOR/2009-287, s. 1
11 (1) Every item of standard mail bearing a postage meter impression or a postage-paid-in-cash impression shall bear the delivery address of the addressee, including the applicable postal code for that address.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), the address of the addressee shall appear on the front of every item of standard mail and be located not less than
(a) 40 mm from the top edge;
(b) 19 mm from the bottom edge; and
(c) 15 mm from the left and right edges.
(3) Paragraph (2)(b) shall not apply in respect of an item of standard mail that bears a postage stamp other than a postage meter or postage-paid-in-cash impression.
(4) The postal code on an item referred to in subsection (1) shall be located
(a) not less than 19 mm from the bottom edge;
(b) not less than 40 mm from the top edge;
(b.1) not less than 15 mm from the left and right edges; and
(c) on the last line of the address, or shall follow all other address particulars on the last line of the address if the postal code is separated from those address particulars by at least two character spaces.
(5) [Repealed, SOR/90-801, s. 6]
- SOR/90-801, s. 6
- SOR/91-625, s. 4
- SOR/2006-342, s. 1
12 (1) Where the envelope of an item of standard mail has an address window, the address window shall be
(a) rectangular in shape with the greatest dimension of the window parallel to the length of the envelope;
(b) covered with transparent material that allows the address to be easily read by a person or an optical character reader; and
(c) [Repealed, SOR/2009-287, s. 2]
(d) located not less than 40 mm from the top edge, 19 mm from the bottom edge and 15 mm from the left and right edges of the item.
(2) The complete address of the addressee shall be clearly visible through the address window of an item referred to in subsection (1).
(3) An auxiliary window on an envelope referred to in subsection (1) shall be covered with transparent material and
(a) where it is located on the front of the envelope, shall be located not less than 45 mm from the bottom edge and 15 mm from the left and right edges and shall be outside the area prescribed in section 13 for the postage meter or postage-paid-in-cash impression;
(b) where it is located on the back of the envelope, shall be located not less than 15 mm from the top and bottom edges and 15 mm from the left and right edges.
(4) No more than one auxiliary window may be located on the front or back of an envelope referred to in subsection (1).
- SOR/2009-287, s. 2
13 (1) The postage meter or postage-paid-in-cash impression on an item of standard mail shall be located on the front of the item in the upper right corner not more than 40 mm from the top edge and 74 mm from the right edge.
(2) Where a postage stamp other than one referred to in subsection (1) is affixed to an item of standard mail, it shall be located on the front of the item in the upper right corner.
14 (1) Where, on an item of standard mail that bears a postage meter or postage-paid-in-cash impression, a return address, service indications or delivery instructions are marked thereon, they shall be located on the front of the item in the upper left corner not less than 45 mm from the bottom edge.
(2) A form number may be printed on the front of an item of standard mail if it is located not more than 6 mm from the bottom.
(3) On an item of standard mail, graphics or other printing shall not be
(a) below and to the right of an address or address window;
(b) less than 19 mm from the bottom of the front of the item; and
(c) in the area prescribed by section 13 for the postage.
- SOR/90-13, s. 5(F)
- SOR/2009-287, s. 3
15 to 30 [Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 6]
31 [Repealed, SOR/88-613, s. 4]
Size and Weight
32 (1) No item of letter mail shall
(a) exceed 380 mm in length, 270 mm in width or 20 mm in thickness; or
(b) be less than 140 mm in length, 90 mm in width or 0.18 mm in thickness.
(2) No item of standard mail shall exceed
(a) in the case of a card or a postcard, 235 mm in length and 120 mm in width; or
(b) in any other case, 245 mm in length, 156 mm in width or 5 mm in thickness.
(3) [Repealed, SOR/90-13, s. 7]
- SOR/88-613, s. 5
- SOR/90-13, s. 7
- SOR/90-801, s. 7
- SOR/96-448, s. 2
- SOR/2003-382, s. 20
32.1 A card or postcard shall be made of cardboard or of any other material commonly used in printing that is of sufficient grammage to provide the stiffness necessary for the card or postcard to withstand processing without difficulty.
- SOR/96-448, s. 3
33 The maximum weight for an item of letter mail is
(a) in the case of an item of standard mail referred to in item 1 of the schedule, 50 g; and
(b) in any other case, 500 g.
- SOR/88-613, s. 6
- SOR/90-13, s. 8
- SOR/90-801, s. 8
- SOR/91-625, s. 5
- SOR/2003-382, s. 21(F)
- SOR/2004-294, s. 2
34 The minimum weight for an item of standard mail in the form of a self-mailer is 3 g.
- SOR/2009-287, s. 4
35 [Repealed, SOR/91-625, s. 6]
36 to 41 [Repealed, SOR/88-613, s. 7]
SCHEDULE(Section 3)
Rates of Postage — Letter Mail
| Item | Column I | Column II |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Rate | |
| 1 | Letter mail not more than 24.5 cm in length, 15 cm in width or 5 mm in thickness | |
| ||
|
| |
| $1.00 | |
| ||
| 2 | Letter mail other than letter mail referred to in item 1 and item 3 | |
| $1.22 | |
| $2.00 | |
| $2.75 | |
| $3.00 | |
| $3.25 | |
| 3 | Letter mail referred to in subsection 3(8) of these Regulations that is not more than 235 mm in length, 165 mm in width or 5 mm in thickness | |
50 g or less  | $1.10 | |
- SOR/88-613, s. 8
- SOR/90-13, s. 9
- SOR/90-801, s. 9
- SOR/91-625, ss. 7, 8
- SOR/92-696, ss. 1, 2
- SOR/94-197, ss. 1, 2
- SOR/95-305, s. 1
- SOR/95-306, ss. 2, 3
- SOR/98-554, s. 1
- SOR/98-555, ss. 1, 2
- SOR/2000-221, s. 3
- SOR/2000-377, ss. 1, 2
- SOR/2001-444, ss. 1, 2
- SOR/2003-375, ss. 1, 2
- SOR/2003-382, ss. 21(F), 22
- SOR/2004-294, ss. 3, 4
- SOR/2005-358, ss. 1, 2
- SOR/2006-342, ss. 2, 3
- SOR/2007-295, ss. 1, 2
- SOR/2009-13, ss. 1, 2
- SOR/2009-141, ss. 2, 3
- SOR/2009-286, s. 3
- SOR/2009-287, ss. 5 to 7
- SOR/2009-335, s. 2(F)
SCHEDULE II
SCHEDULE III
- Date modified: