The St. Catharines Stamp Club is one of more than 15 chapters of the Grand River Valley Philatelic Association (GRVPA), which offers stamp collectors and clubs a variety of services and assistance.

In addition to our club, the GRVPA’s member clubs include:

The GRVPA’s services are listed below.

  1. The Grand News, launched in 1969, is published five times a year.
    • The publication highlights news and lists events for the GRVPA’s member clubs. It’s also an opportunity for a limited number of advertisers to reach more than 600 collectors.
  2. The GRVPA also serves as a forum for its member clubs to share ideas and develop shared resources. Together, we can utilize many club resources rather than just one. These resources include:
    • support for special events like the St. Catharines Stamp Club’s annual Cathex show;
    • a list of guest speakers for club meetings;
    • a method for listing and sharing display frames and easels;
    • the development of unbiased judging system for exhibits; and
    • discussions about another “Grandpex” event in the future.
  3. The association facilitates the purchase of insurance through the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC) for all sanctioned events held by its chapters.
  4. The GRVPA’s member clubs sponsor 15 bourses annually, and most of these events include exhibits.
    • These bourses feature more than 60 different dealers and offer a wide variety of opportunities for collectors to find elusive material. They start in late September, and with the exception of June, July and December, there is at least one show held each month.
  5. The chapters also occasionally host major events, including the annual RPSC Convention, known as the Royal.
    • Hamilton hosted the Royal in 1998 as well as a Millennium Show in 2000.
    • The GRVPA co-hosted Grandpex in 2002.
    • Saugeen hosted the Royal in 2003.
    • St. Catharines hosted the Royal in 2009 as well as 2018.
  6. The annual GRVPA Club Fair, which was launched in 1995, provides an opportunity for collectors to access to the largest gathering of club circuit books in Canada.
    • More than 400 circuit books are usually available to show-goers at this yearly event, which also includes two silent auctions.
  7. Each year, the GRVPA also hosts a “Grand Night,” which features a guest speaker, several club circuits, an auction and more.
  8. “Youth Stampex” is present at many GRVPA club bourses, providing children with an inexpensive method to become involved in stamp collecting. A 40-litre box of free stamps – maintained and circulated by the GRVPA – is made available to every GRVPA club bourse for children.
  9. The association also hands out two awards each year.
Canada