Canada Post eyes end to door-to-door delivery for 4M Canadians, raising rural concerns

Canada Post plans to transform its operations, which it says involves ending door-to-door delivery for roughly 4 million Canadians.

This is expected to have a significant impact on rural communities.

For Henry Eising, who has operated a family business in Norfolk County for the past 25 years, mail couriers are an integrated part of his community.

“Oh well, we know her well and we make sure we give her a Christmas present, and stuff like that in the mailbox,” said Eising.

With proposed changes on the horizon the way Canada Post operates, Eising wouldn’t just be losing convenience, he’d be losing a personal connection.

“When she ships something like this, if it doesn’t fit in the mailbox, she just drives down and either honks the horn or if she sees us — she brings it in right into the store,” said Eising. “That’s the kind of personal service you’re not going to get anymore of course.”

Last September, Public Services and Procurement Canada outlined a series of changes for Canada Post to implement as it reported rapidly worsening deficits.

That included introducing flexibility in its operations, converting the 4 million addresses that still receive door-to-door mail delivery to community mailbox services.

“Everything has become digital — banking statements have gone paperless, so I can see that’s the future,” said Eising. “I think the elderly people are going to be the most affected, because they still like their paper and not necessarily digital.”

READ MORE: Canada Post union president wants employees to reject tentative contract deal

Canada Post announced this week that it’s working to meet the evolving needs of Canadians without becoming a recurring burden on taxpayers as it prioritizes services for all and protects access to services in rural, remote and indigenous communities.

The proposed changes mean residents of rural Ontario, who typically receive their mail in mailboxes, will have to venture out to their community mail depots, which can be less than ideal when the weather is not on their side.

It was just three months ago that Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers reached a tentative agreement following a months-long strike.

In February, the union announced the completion of the draft collective agreements.

In a statement to CHCH News, the union says it’s deeply frustrated by the timing of the consultation between Canada post and the government.

It says the union is focused on the upcoming ratification vote at this time.

Canada Post has not confirmed any details of its transformation plan of the estimated timeline for it to take effect.

The ratification vote begins April 20 and continues until May 30.

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