While the federal government has announced it is reversing the previous government’s decision to phase out door-to-door mail delivery from Canada Post, it will also not restore home delivery for Canadians already using community mailboxes – and that has an Edmonton union leader feeling cautiously optimistic for workers.
Dodsworth added that as part of its ongoing contract negotiations with management, the union is still fighting to have all door-to-door deliveries restored.
READ MORE: Canadians hoping for return of their Canada Post home mail delivery out of luck
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Watch below: Canada Post on Wednesday said that it was ending the plan to get rid of door-to-door delivery. Those who have already converted to community mail box systems will remain in place.
Stephen Harper’s Conservative government brought in a plan to end door-to-door deliveries in 2013 in an effort to save the crown corporation about $400 million as revenues fell and less Canadians sent letters.
“We lost a lot of staffing when they switched to the community mailbox conversions here in Edmonton, we lost approximately 40,000 to 50,000 addresses… When they started that here in Edmonton,” Dodsworth said, before adding there were some “interesting points” to the Liberals’ announcement earlier on Wednesday.
“They want to talk about innovation and expansion of services which is what the Canadian Union of Postal Workers has been after Canada Post for.”
To date, about 840,000 people have been switched to community mailboxes and officials said that has brought in about $80 million in savings.
After being elected, the federal Liberals launched a review of the community mailbox conversions in an attempt to find an alternative to cutting home delivery.
-With files from Amanda Connolly
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