Editor’s Note: This article had previously stated Canada Post was losing money. In fact, the Crown corporation posted a $62 million loss before taxes in the third quarter of 2017, but an overall profit of $13 million before tax for the first three quarters of the year.
Apparently, I’m one of the fortunate ones in this country. I still get door-to-door mail service.
However, it’s a service I would gladly give up in the name of progress.
You probably remember the outcry when the previous government, led by former prime minister Stephen Harper, announced it was moving away from door-to-door delivery and replacing it with community mailboxes.
It was a chance for the Crown corporation to save $350 million.
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In the last federal election, the Liberal party campaigned against such a move. At the time, the party claimed it was fighting for the elderly and disabled but it appeared to me that it was pandering to a strong postal union.
This week the Liberal government announced it was following through on that promise – well, sort of.
Existing residences with door-to-door delivery will not see a conversion to community mailboxes, but those who lost their service will have to get used to their community mailboxes.
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I still receive my mail the old-fashioned way, but I think it’s time we moved into the 21st century. Canada Post workers have to realize that times have changed and the old way is simply too costly.
Savings have to be made and the first step would be to get rid of door-to-door service.
I recognize there are those who can’t get to a community mailbox for a variety of reasons and there will have to be a program put in place to ensure they aren’t left out. But the cost of any such program would be minuscule compared to the millions of dollars that will be saved.
We live in a society that is becoming more and more housebound thanks to online shopping and social media. Introducing community mailboxes would help bring neighbourhoods together and might even encourage people to walk more.
Now there’s an idea a future government could campaign on.
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