Mother of disabled boy targets Canada Post’s decision to end door-to-door delivery

Above: An Ontario woman is fighting against Canada Post’s plan to make cuts to door-to-door delivery, arguing the service is a must for people with mobility issues. Vassy Kapelos reports.

The mother of a boy with cerebral palsy is petitioning Canada Post to reconsider its decision to end door-to-door mail delivery in urban centres.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Susan Dixon had already collected more than 126,000 signatures since launching the online petition Dec. 15.

Her youngest son, Matthew, uses a walker and wheel chair to get around.

“When I found out about (the changes) I thought it was a total injustice for people with mobility issues,” Dixon, a mother of two in Cambridge, Ont. told Global News.

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Matthew will be having double hip surgery later this month, which will make the prospect of retrieving mail from a community box even more difficult, she said.

“I wonder, has anyone at Canada Post ever tried to push a stroller or a wheelchair or a walker through the snow?” Dixon asked in her online petition. “For me, Canada Post’s decision would mean having to bundle (my sons) up and struggle with a wheelchair just to get our mail. And I am just one of thousands of Canadians who must already overcome mobility challenges on a daily basis.”

After Parliament had risen for the winter holidays last month, Canada Post announced significant changes to its operations, including plans to eliminate home delivery in urban areas over the next five years. Without letter carriers travelling by foot, the Crown corporation said it would safe a considerable amount of money.

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While signatures for Dixon’s petition were initially only trickling in, she said saw a welcome uptick after winter storms blanketed much of Central and Eastern Canada in snow and ice last month.

“It has taken off like wildfire,” she said. “I didn’t expect it to go this far. But I’m glad I did it.”

Dixon will soon be bringing her petition to executives at Canada Post as well as to the federal government.

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A spokeswoman with Canada Post said they intend to listen to any concerns people have, but that their operations will still have to change.

“Certainly we’re going to be paying attention to all the feedback we’re getting from the community and everyone affected by the change,” said Annick Losier told Global News in an interview.  “But the reality is that we do need to make some of these changes.”

Canada Post has had community mailboxes across Canada for about 30 years, which has forced it to face and deal with problems and special situations, Losier said.

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In some cases, she said, Canada Post has offered an extra key to the mailbox, allowing people with disabilities to ask a family member or friend for help retrieving mail. In other cases, they can ensure people who can’t reach up high are assigned mailboxes lower down.

But that’s not enough, Dixon said.

“I don’t think they thought this all the way through,” she said. “There’s going to be a lot more hip fractures, knee fractures, heat stroke … It’s going to put a burden on the health-care system.”

While testifying at Parliament last month, chief executive officer at Canada Post, Deepak Chopra, disregarded suggestions from some MPs that the move to eliminate door-to-door service would have a negative effect on elderly people and people with disabilities.

Conversely, he argued the change might do them some good by getting them outdoors and moving.

For Dixon, though, there’s only one answer.

“They need to change the plans,” she said.

*With files from The Canadian Press