What to do with Canada Post?

Boges · October 28, 2015

I see lots of valid reasons to continue to do away with home delivery but no valid reasons to keep it. Yet Trudeau has halted the program. I saw again yesterday the Montreal mayor eagerly jackhammering a mailbox pad and am sure i saw the same footage during the campaign, the story line being the CPC was wrong to put people into the community mailbox system.

As per the story I posted. CP made this decision on its own. It wasn't an edict from JT. Perhaps they're anticipating some opposition from JT though. We'll see.

segnosaur · October 28, 2015

I see lots of valid reasons to continue to do away with home delivery but no valid reasons to keep it. Yet Trudeau has halted the program.

As per the story I posted. CP made this decision on its own. It wasn't an edict from JT. Perhaps they're anticipating some opposition from JT though. We'll see.

Well, it was part of the Liberal platform to "stop Harper's plan to end door-to-door delivery in Canada". So even if halting the conversion to super mailboxes wasn't ordered by Trudeau, they would have reason to believe Trudeau would eventually do so.

https://www.liberal.ca/realchange/canada-post/

I suspect this is like so many of the Liberal policies... poorly thought out, designed to curry favor with a certain portion of the electorate (or, in this case, public sector unions), and one that they will either go back on, or will end up hurting the country as a whole.

The_Squid · October 28, 2015

This was discussed in a previous thread involving Canada post and home delivery.

http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums/topic/24002-stephen-harper-taking-away-door-to-door-postal-service/

The same basic arguments apply here as they did before.

While Canada Post as a whole is turning a profit, often those profits are due to its parcel delivery service; home delivery tends to operate at a loss. And any rational company would never expect one area of its business to subsidize failing areas of its business indefinitely.

A couple of other notes:

Even though they turned a profit in 2014, they had an operating loss the previous year. So looking at just one year and saying "everything is A-OK" is a bit... questionable.

It should also be noted that in other years, Canada post has managed to turn a profit not through its general operations, but by selling off unneeded buildings, a business model that is not sustainable.

Yes, it costs money for door-to-door deliveries... it's a service.

Using your theory, we shouldn't look at one year by itself... OK... It never lost money prior to the CPC running things. Again, poor fiscal management by the Harper government.

For 16 years, up until 2011, Canada Post realized an annual profit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Post#Profits_and_Losses

The new government of Canada isn't beholden to Harper's bad plans for CanadaPost.

Boges · October 28, 2015

Yes, it costs money for door-to-door deliveries... it's a service.

Using your theory, we shouldn't look at one year by itself... OK... It never lost money prior to the CPC running things. Again, poor fiscal management by the Harper government.

The new government of Canada isn't beholden to Harper's bad plans for CanadaPost.

That ignores the fact that the idea of mailing paper to someone else is completely anachronistic and will only continue in the future. A good majority of mail people receive is marketing, not vital things they need.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Boges

Argus · October 28, 2015

As per the story I posted. CP made this decision on its own. It wasn't an edict from JT. Perhaps they're anticipating some opposition from JT though. We'll see.

If that is the plan, it's indefensible, but par for the course of JT going for style over substance.

Look, either you feel door to door delivery is some kind of right - in which case it should be established for everyone, at least in urban areas, or it's not, in which case why should older neighborhoods get it and newer neighbourhoods not?

waldo · October 28, 2015

Look, either you feel door to door delivery is some kind of right - in which case it should be established for everyone, at least in urban areas, or it's not, in which case why should older neighborhoods get it and newer neighbourhoods not?

see urban sprawl... see municipalities struggling with it... see land developers (and consequently homeowners indirectly) being assessed with higher costs to help municipalities deal with providing infrastructure and services to ever expanding 'sprawling' areas. A split of those increased costs being assigned to developers (and indirectly homeowners) could be... should be... redirected to Canada Post to assist in covering the costs of providing home delivery to outer sprawling areas.

Boges · October 28, 2015

see urban sprawl... see municipalities struggling with it... see land developers (and consequently homeowners indirectly) being assessed with higher costs to help municipalities deal with providing infrastructure and services to ever expanding 'sprawling' areas. A split of those increased costs being assigned to developers (and indirectly homeowners) could be... should be... redirected to Canada Post to assist in covering the costs of providing home delivery to outer sprawling areas.

I think residents may prefer that money go towards things like infrastructure for water, roads, schools, etc etc etc.

HEY! I thought CP was supposed to be self sufficient?

The_Squid · October 28, 2015

That ignores the fact that the idea of mailing paper to someone else is completely anachronistic and will only continue in the future. A good majority of mail people receive is marketing, not vital things they need.

And you're ignoring the fact that it was like that prior to 2011 and they still managed a profit for 16 straight years providing a service to Canadians until Harper had control. They were running it into the ground.

If that is the plan, it's indefensible, but par for the course of JT going for style over substance.

Look, either you feel door to door delivery is some kind of right - in which case it should be established for everyone, at least in urban areas, or it's not, in which case why should older neighborhoods get it and newer neighbourhoods not?

"door to door delivery is a right for everyone.... who lives in a city"

LOL

Do you even read what you write?

Personally, I don't care... I can walk to a box... right now it's delivered right to my door! If they can turn a profit while slowly eliminating door-to-door service by not expanding into new neighbourhoods, I am fine with that.

Or, perhaps just the disabled and seniors could have home delivery. Of course, this might not save any money,

waldo · October 28, 2015

HEY! I thought CP was supposed to be self sufficient?

that was a Harper Conservative/Transport Minister Raitt declaration... driven by shifting online patterns, Canada Post is adjusting and aggressively pursuing shipping contracts... for what its worth, I used to receive my Amazon Prime deliveries exclusively by UPS... for some months now they're coming to me via Canada Post.

G Huxley · October 30, 2015

So let me get this straight....

You want to keep an expensive door-to-door service, but also eliminate junk mail, an aspect of Canada Post's business that probably brings in a significant source of revenue.

Ultimately you want high costs and low income.

And you don't see any problem with that?

Nope I even came up with a slogan with a nice ring to it:

Keep Door to Door

Just Charge More

Edited October 30, 2015 by G Huxley

Canada_First · October 30, 2015

Keep door to door. Expand door to door. Remove all existing superboxes. Door to door for everyone. Or to end of driveway for rural dwellers.

Smallc · October 30, 2015

Nope I even came up with a slogan with a nice ring to it:

Keep Door to Door

Just Charge More

Why?

angrypenguin · October 31, 2015

Disband this damn organization.

G Huxley · October 31, 2015

"Why?"

The extra charges would be fair and eliminate junk mail deliveries thus saving countless trees.

Smallc · October 31, 2015

"Why?"

The extra charges would be fair and eliminate junk mail deliveries thus saving countless trees.

I think people could walk to the end of their street.

Edited October 31, 2015 by Smallc

angrypenguin · October 31, 2015

I think people could walk to the end of their street.

But the seniors can't :rolleyes:

Bryan · October 31, 2015

As i understand it, any house in Canada built after 1985 has community boxes. I know Regina has been that way. I had delivery to my door for about 8 years, rest of my life it is off to the community box or to the post office. But JT thinks it should not be that way, maybe everyone in Canada should get door to door if it is that critical for JT to stop the program.

I'm always surprised when I read things like this (you are far from the first to say it). I've lived in homes much newer than that. I've lived in the inner city, I've lived in the suburbs, I've lived in small towns, and I've lived in remote rural areas. I have ALWAYS had door to door mail service everywhere I've lived. Even in the most remote places, at bare minimum it was delivered to the classic mailbox at the end of the long driveway. I've never lived somewhere that has community mailboxes.

That said, I don't think I have any reason to expect that anymore.

G Huxley · October 31, 2015

I think they prefer door to door.

Bryan · October 31, 2015

I think they prefer door to door.

I prefer a lot of things that are too expensive to realistically expect.

G Huxley · October 31, 2015

Are you willing to pay for some of them?

Bryan · October 31, 2015

Are you willing to pay for some of them?

Some things I'm willing to pay for. I certainly don't expect them though. I definitely don't expect others to pay for them.

cybercoma · October 31, 2015

I prefer a lot of things that are too expensive to realistically expect.

Canada Post is profitable. How's that for too expensive?

angrypenguin · October 31, 2015

Canada Post is profitable. How's that for too expensive?

For now.

Smallc · October 31, 2015

Canada Post is profitable. How's that for too expensive?

Mail volumes have dropped by 30% over the last 10 years, and are projected to drop by another 30% over the next 10 years. A corporation like Canada post has to look beyond the now.

Bryan · October 31, 2015

Canada Post is profitable. How's that for too expensive?

Black ink for one quarter in the last five years is not exactly "profitable".

https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/blogs/announcements/details.page?article=2015/08/20/canada_post_segment_&cattype=announcements&cat=newsreleases

In the first half of 2015, Transaction Mail volumes (letters, bills and statements) fell by 102 million pieces or 7.2 per cent1 compared to the first half of 2014. That rate of decline is higher than in the first six months of any year since mail volumes peaked in 2006. In the second quarter, volumes fell by 63 million pieces or 6.5 per cent compared to the same period a year ago.