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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Stephen Giesbrecht shows where the base of a new community mailbox was burned, before the box was even installed.<\/p>\n
One of the concrete slabs has already played host to a fire and some of the hardware needed to install the mailbox melted.<\/p>\n
Giesbrecht worries the vandalism is a sign of things to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody\u2019s going to get annoyed they that they can\u2019t get into it and they\u2019re going to set it on fire,\u201d he said. \u201cOr they\u2019re going to knock it over \u2014 It doesn\u2019t take much to get into these.\u201d<\/p>\n
The federal government announced last September Canada Post would undergo a transformation due to money troubles \u2014 it was losing approximately $10 million a day. It announced the plan phase out of door-to-door delivery beginning April 16.<\/p>\n
Four million addresses are set to be converted to community mailboxes over the next five years in Canada, starting with 136,000 between now and early 2027.<\/p>\n
Canada Post said in a statement to the Free Press the new boxes have been in use for 12 years across Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have proven to be reliable through Canada\u2019s four seasons and in communities across all regions\u201d including Winnipeg, the statement said.<\/p>\n
Giesbrecht doesn\u2019t think the boxes will last in Winnipeg, especially on his street, which he referred to as a \u201ccriminal super highway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giesbrecht and his wife, Tara, also worry their yard will become a dumping ground for junkmail and flyers. They\u2019re even more concerned for seniors in the area who will have to make a trip to collect their letters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of elderly people around here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Canada Post spokesperson did not address questions about the vandalized boxes, only saying the Crown corporation worked with local officials and the city to \u201cidentify secure locations for the new community mailboxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spokesperson wouldn\u2019t say where in Winnipeg the mailboxes were currently being delivered but said Canada Post anticipates having more than 370 community mailboxes serving nearly 16,000 addresses in the city during the first phase of the rollout.<\/p>\n
Residents with postal codes starting with R2W, R3E and R3H can expect mail delivery to start at the community boxes in October. <\/p>\n
Canada Post said those who need assistance with mail delivery can apply to its delivery accommodation program, which may offer home delivery for some customers.<\/p>\n