Canada Post announces first 136,000 addresses to lose door-to-door delivery | Hanomansing Tonight

Well, I guess we knew this was coming,

but big changes are coming to the

service that Canada Post offers. 4

million addresses are going to be losing

doorstep delivery over the next 5 years,

and today we are learning which of the

areas are going to be changing first.

Tanya Fletcher is joining me now with I

think with a a map and all the details.

Tanya? Yeah, Sarah. So, as you

mentioned, we knew this was coming. Now,

we know exactly where with this first

wave. So, here's a look. 13 communities

right across the country. This

represents in total a combined 136,000

addresses that will be losing

door-to-door delivery in favor of these

community mailboxes. Um this will uh

transition will fully happen in 6 to 9

months. So, by the end of this year,

early 2027 is when that should be

complete. This is the first wave. You

mentioned that 4 million figure off the

top. That's how many addresses are left

in Canada that still have door-to-door

delivery. So, Canada Post says they're

phasing all of them out. This is the

first batch, and the remaining 4

million, as you say, will take over the

next 5 or so years to do that, to make

that change. And this is all, of course,

in response to the minister's

announcement. So, the federal government

in September said, "You know what,

Canada Post, you need need to make some

meaningful changes, so it's not a

continuing drain on taxpayers' dollars."

Canada Post today, we spoke with them.

They acknowledge that. They say there

are some big changes needed, and here's

why, in their words.

The the post office is losing money, and

we're now at a at a position where

um we're out of step with where

Canadians are at. But, I I'd say, if

you're worried about it, talk to any

friends or family or anybody you know

that already has a community mailbox.

Everything is under lock and key.

Everything is dry. If you go away for a

couple of days, your mail [snorts] isn't

sitting, you know, on your front, you

know, in a box in your front step.

So, he goes on to say about 80% of

packages do fit inside of these

community mailboxes. The remaining 20%

that don't fit, if they need a

signature, they'll still be delivered uh

to your doorstep. Otherwise, at a nearby

location for pickup, like is already

done with many um many parcels. There

will be an average of 16 households in

one of these community mailboxes. Um

they'll try to keep it nearby within the

community. The biggest challenge, he

says, is going to be the big urban city

centers. You know, those very dense

downtown cores. And that's why right

now, they're starting with more kind of

the suburban outlying areas where

they're um kind of more that traditional

say say crescents or or uh streets where

you might have the single uh family

homes. Uh that's where they're starting

now. The bigger challenge will be those

um denser downtown cores. They'll try to

figure out work with each municipality

on a one-by-one basis to try to figure

out where is best for these community

mailboxes to be accessible and safe, as

well, Sarah. So, how are [snorts] people

reacting to this? Yeah, well, we went to

West Vancouver on the North Shore here

in Metro Vancouver to talk to some

people. There was some um surprise and

also some concern from residents.

I had no idea.

Uh that's news to me. Um

that's sad, but uh not surprising,

actually. Well, I'm not happy, and I

think these people that older people,

older than me,

that have a hard time.

>> Most of the mail now today, in today's

world, is all digital.

>> I understand the difficulties and the

financial problems of Canada Post and

the changing society, but if we're going

to offer this service, we still need to

make it accessible for all demographics.

That includes people with disabilities

and senior citizens.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, the union

doesn't like these changes. The Canadian

Union of Postal Workers saying they

don't like it. They're deeply concerned.

Part of their statement uh with regards

to the transition to these community

mailboxes, uh they say, "Canada Post

claims this is a modernization effort."

Statement goes on to say, "We fail to

see how such a service cut will allow

Canada Post to compete with private

companies that offer door-to-door

delivery." Um the union wants a full

review of Canada Post to make sure it is

fulfilling its mandate to Canadians,

Sarah. Okay, Tanya. Thank you.

>> You bet.