Uranium Resources

In 1900 James Mackintosh Bell of the Geological Survey of Canada journeyed to Great Bear Lake to collect mineral specimens and to map parts of the region. At one point at the east end of the lake he noticed that "the steep rocky shores which here present themselves to the lake are often stained with cobalt-bloom and copper-green". In 1930, Gilbert LaBine read this quotation and concluded that silver might be present. He flew to Great Bear Lake, located the spot, and discovered not only silver but also pitchblende, an ore containing radium and uranium. This discovery gave the Canadian nuclear industry its start, because radium was in great demand, although there was little demand for uranium until the Second World War. In 1945 Canada completed the world's first reactor outside the United States. In the early 1950's work began on the CANDU nuclear power reactor, system, now internationally recognized as the world's finest. By generating electricity with uranium instead of coal, the system has already saved Canada one billion dollars in imported coal and has eliminated the pollution that burning coal would have caused. The Uranium Resources stamp was designed by graphic designer Jacques Charette of Ottawa. Based on a photograph by Hans Blohm, the design features a model of the molecular structure of uraninite, one of the basic uranium minerals found in Canada. The red, black, and silver model floats against a deep blue-black background.