Canada Post temporarily halts plans to cut door-to-door mail delivery

Ottawa (28 Oct. 2015) — In the wake of the federal election, officials at Canada Post have announced that the program to remove door-to-door mail delivery and install community mailboxes has been suspended.

Canada Post says it will work with new government on the future of the postal system

“Canada Post is temporarily suspending future deployment of the program to convert door-to-door mail delivery to community mailboxes. We will work collaboratively with the Government of Canada to determine the best path forward given the ongoing challenges faced by the Canadian postal system,” Canada Post said in its news release.

The statement continued, “Efforts are now underway to place the comprehensive program on hold in an orderly fashion. This involves roughly 460,000 addresses across the country which are currently in the process to be converted to community mailboxes.”

The federal Liberals campaigned on a promise to stop the elimination of home delivery services. It is a promise in a long line of promises made throughout the federal election.

Save Canada Post campaign put pressure on government and opposition to reconsider ideological move

The campaign Save Canada Post, initiated by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and supported by community members, politicians, civil society organizations and labour unions, has been running for almost two years. It began in 2013, when Canada Post, supported by the Conservative government, decided without consultation to end home mail delivery.

Despite the concerns of seniors, people with disabilities and the public, Canada Post moved ahead with the process providing no evidence that the cuts were necessary. The financial situation of Canada Post Corporation did not require such drastic service cutbacks. In the second quarter of 2014, the Canada Post Corporation reported $62 million in profit. In fact, it has reported profits in 17 of the past 19 years.

Supporters of home delivery came out to public meetings, organized sit-ins on the sites of the future community mailboxes, and lobbied their federal representatives urging them to intervene. The campaign was important in convincing the opposition parties to take a firm stand on the issue during the election. Both the NDP and Liberals committed to stopping the cuts to mail delivery.

Opportunity for Canada Post and the government to focus on the future of postal service in Canada

In a statement, CUPW urged Canada Post and the new federal government to take the opportunity not just to restore home delivery to those who have lost it but to re-examine possibilities to strengthen Canada's postal system.

"We need a public review to discuss the future and our options for building a 21st century post office that is capable of creating new revenue streams and meeting the needs of Canadians. For example, postal banking helps keep financial services accessible and postal service viable in many parts of the world. Why not here?," the statement said.

"Postal delivery is an important public service for our communities," said James Clancy, National President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). "We are pleased that all the work on the ground has resulted in stopping further cuts."

"Our job now is to ensure this new government fufills its election promise and reinvests in a modern postal system," said Clancy.

More information:

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NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE