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Canada Post’s plan to eliminate regular door-to-door delivery is causing many eastern Ontarians to worry about the future accessibility of their mail service.
The proposed change is part of a transformation plan the crown corporation submitted in November.
In a March 30 news release, Canada Post said it has received a directive from the federal government to start moving forward with the plan, beginning with consultations with bargaining agents for unionized workers represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).
The proposed changes also include plans to modernize its post office network, amend standards for letter mail and reduce overhead costs.
Yet rural residents in places like Renfrew County worry it could be hard to access community mailboxes, particularly if they don’t have public transit.
“Some people don’t have vehicles, so they pay a neighbour to take them to take them to town once every two weeks to get groceries and to pay the bills,” said Peter Emon, a councillor with the county.
“[If you] take away door-to-door … and go to the super boxes, our folks may not have the ability to get to those.”
Peter Emon, a councillor with the County of Renfrew, says accessing community mailboxes could be difficult for rural residents in his area — particularly those without vehicles — as the county doesn’t have public transit or regular ride-hailing programs.
(Guy Quenneville/CBC)
Many Renfrew County residents still rely on door delivery to get cheques and medical information from their doctors, Emon said.
The proposal is a “stab in the back” to communities that have lobbied politicians at all levels of government for years to save the postal service, he added.
According to Canada Post’s release, home delivery will still be available for those who face barriers to accessing parcels and mail due to functional limitations or health conditions.
In a release from CUPW, union’s president Jan Simpson said Monday’s announcement was “another attempt to derail our negotiations process.”
How have urban centres responded?
The proposed elimination of door-to-door delivery has drawn a mixed response in urban areas in eastern Ontario, some of whom still rely on the service.
Evelyne Power still receives door delivery at her home in Ottawa’s east end, and says switching to community mailboxes could cause safety concerns if they aren’t maintained properly.
“What kind of priority is it going to be for clearing out the area around [them]?” she asked. “Will the rest of the system change to make it work well? Or is it just going to be another kind of irritant?”
Others like Susy Mailer say switching to community mailboxes could free up resources for Canada Post to ensure people across Canada still have daily mail service.
Mailer uses a community mailbox in her west Ottawa neighbourhood and says she makes a daily trip to retrieve her mail.
While she supports the decision to eliminate door delivery, Mailer also understands the concerns of rural customers, adding a “one-size-fits-all” delivery service doesn’t make sense.
“Let’s focus first on our civic areas and maybe just make all of the city of Ottawa to be consistent,” Mailer said.
“So if we’re all in a municipality, we should all have community mailboxes. And then [we can] see what kind of savings did we get from doing that.”
No timeline yet
In a statement to the CBC, Canada Post said it wants to conclude consultations with its unions regarding the proposed changes before sharing more details publicly.
The crown corporation did not provide a timeline for when the changes could occur.
Canada Post says it will continue to update Canadians, customers, employees and other stakeholders on its transformation plans, and will provide notice to those affected by the changes.