HALIFAX – More than 9,000 households in the Halifax area will no longer receive door-to-door delivery from Canada Post.
On Monday, Canada Post introduced community mailboxes to 9,400 residential addresses. The majority were in Sackville and Bedford.
Resident John Thomas popped by his community mailbox to check it out; the Lower Sackville man said he does not live far from the community mailbox but calls it a slight inconvenience.
“I guess we’ll have to put up with it,” he said.
Thomas said he understands Canada Post is doing the best it can as more people move to sending mail online.
But the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is singing a different tune. The union has been highly against the change to community mailboxes since the beginning.
“We were hoping this day wasn’t coming,” said Jeff Callaghan, the Atlantic director for CUPW. “It’s a dark day for those communities and, really, a dark day for Canada Post being the first G7 country to take the step to eliminate door-to-door delivery.”
Callaghan said he is hopeful the mail corporation will have a change of heart and reverse the conversion to community mailboxes; otherwise, he is expecting the matter to become an election issue.
“We’re hoping the federal government, at some point, will notice that the cuts are being implemented by Canada Post is really devastating to our public postal service,” he said.
He adds that the elimination of door-to-door mail delivery will only push Canadians to turn to alternatives at a time when Canada Post is already losing business.
Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton said 74,000 households across the country lost the delivery service Monday.
“It could be somewhat difficult or it could be very difficult for some people. We put plans in place to help those who it will be somewhat difficult and we’re working with them,” he said.
“We’re committed to ensuring no one gets left behind and for the rest, it’s an adjustment. We understand it.”
Hamilton said this is the first phase in changes the mail corporation will be making over the next five years, and it’s needed to help the company stay afloat.
“We can’t please everybody. But if we don’t make changes, the postal service is going to be in serious financial trouble and we’ll be turning to the taxpayers to try and protect a service that people are using less and less.”
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