Stephen Harper taking away door to door postal service

[Moonbox]

One trend you will notice with new suburban housing expansions are being designed and set up for a one stop delivery. There is no door to door delivery in those new housing development sections anyways. Not only are they cutting home service for many, but with every new housing section going up, there will be no door to door delivery. You will see mainly the following in those new areas. So, the number not getting home delivery is most likely twice to three times that of what they say they are cutting back on.

This isn't a new trend. A lot of suburban developments going back to the 1980's have this. They're also not that far apart. My folks (seniors) have to walk about 5 houses down to get their mail. At worst, someone will have to walk maybe 10 houses to get their mail in that neighborhood.

Regular post is practically dead. There's barely any reason to open your mail now, so wasting millions on a service that's a nuisance to most people these days and completely unavailable to the majority just isn't smart. All of the people who don't have door-to-door delivery are surviving somehow , so the idea that this is going to be some sort of catastrophe is far fetched.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Moonbox

[hitops]

My mailman is very good. I get parcels regularly and when it's snowy outside the mailman will regularly bring it right to my door as he knows I'm disabled. Not all mailmen are bad, some are very good and do their jobs with pride. These superboxes will only remove yet another human element to our services. I don't think everything needs to be automated and impersonal.

It's beyond that question. It's about whether we really need just a comprehensive service at all. It's 2014 and arguably we don't. Obviously we need package delivery, but the majority of Canadians today do not need mail delivery even every weekday. Judging by the amount of mail I and my neighbors get (when I see them pick it up), realistically a person's mail could be pooled and delivered once a week and this would have minimal impact. Those that need more, could pay more.

[cybercoma]

It's beyond that question. It's about whether we really need just a comprehensive service at all. It's 2014 and arguably we don't. Obviously we need package delivery, but the majority of Canadians today do not need mail delivery even every weekday. Judging by the amount of mail I and my neighbors get (when I see them pick it up), realistically a person's mail could be pooled and delivered once a week and this would have minimal impact. Those that need more, could pay more.

Packages aren't delivered to your home under the new plan. Anything sent by Canada Post goes in the large lockers in the community mailboxes or gets sent to the Post Office if they're all taken up or the parcel is too large to fit.

[overthere]

A lot of suburban developments going back to the 1980's have this.

All. Any new homes built here at least have not had household delivery since 1985.

All over the place in Ontario. At the cottage mail is delivered to the private mailbox at the end of the driveway, same as everyone else.

Daily , delivered via automobile.

must be nice to live in ontario. Only some farms get householder delivery in Alberta and that is temporary. Most either have a box in town or at a community mailbox. Pretty much all acreage developments have been on community boxes for a long time.

[Scared.In.Canada]

Has anyone thought about the increased pollution that this will cause because of the millions of people driving to the mailboxes everyday? What will this increased carbon footprint mean to Canada's wilderness?

[segnosaur]

Has anyone thought about the increased pollution that this will cause because of the millions of people driving to the mailboxes everyday? What will this increased carbon footprint mean to Canada's wilderness?

I live in an area served with a 'super mailbox'.... It is approximately 50 meters from my front door (and I'm probably one of the furthest from it.) I doubt any sane person would have to drive to pick up their mail. (At least in urban areas.) Heck, in those areas, community mailboxes might even REDUCE carbon emissions, since the superboxes have an area for parcels; if you live in a house with home delivery and you're not there when a parcel is delivered, you have to make a special trip to the post office; if you have a super mailbox it can be left in the special parcel lock-box.

As for rural areas... keep in mind that mail delivery was already costing carbon emissions (since I assume they weren't delivering mail door-to-door on horseback.). That will offset at least some of the extra carbon emissions from people driving to the mailbox every day. Further offsets will result from the fact that some will not be picking their mail up everyday, or will combine trips (i.e. pick up mail at the same time they do their shopping, or on their way to work.)

Edited October 27, 2014 by segnosaur

[hitops]

Packages aren't delivered to your home under the new plan. Anything sent by Canada Post goes in the large lockers in the community mailboxes or gets sent to the Post Office if they're all taken up or the parcel is too large to fit.

Right, and I don't see any problem with that either. It's ok to get your mail at a community box.

[cybercoma]

Right, and I don't see any problem with that either. It's ok to get your mail at a community box.

It's ok if you're young, healthy, and capable without putting yourself at risk for injury or harm.

[hitops]

It's ok if you're young, healthy, and capable without putting yourself at risk for injury or harm.

Every single thing imaginable is easier, safer, faster, better for a person like that. Such is life.

Anyone who wants special treatment, should have the option of paying more for it.

The amazing thing is that natural solutions always spring up when these supposed 'problems' present themselves. Just look at the lengthy Saskatoon bus strike with no bus service. Shockingly, civilization did not collapse with zombies roaming the streets. People started, gasp, carpooling, walking, biking etc. The horrors!

[overthere]

Anyone who wants special treatment, should have the option of paying more for it.

Absolutely. Every neighbourhood has kids more than happy to take a maalbox key and walk a few feet to the community box for a few bucks.

We don't need somebody from Canada Post involved beyond getting it to the community box.

[Bryan]

I have a disabled friend who would sure like home delivery service. It would be much easier to get mail on the days she couldn't make it to the boxes a few hundred meters away.

Personally, I think there has to be an alternative.

What they should do is change the laws that currently make it illegal for private companies to provide the service. Stop dictating that they have to charge significantly higher rates too. If the demand is really there, someone will step in to provide it.

[overthere]

What they should do is change the laws that currently make it illegal for private companies to provide the service. Stop dictating that they have to charge significantly higher rates too. If the demand is really there, someone will step in to provide it.

There would certainly be no shortage of companies willing to deliver first class mail for much less in urban centers, or places normally accessible by couriers. In remote places, Canada Post does that though not everywhere.

The least expensive solution might be for Canada Post to charge a reasonable levy for companies to licence their first class monopoly to the private sector wherever possible. then use those funds to subsidize deliveries to remote places.

Keep in mind that the volume of mail to remote locations is very small compared to urban. 35k people in Yukon, 45k in NWT, 35 in Nunavut. Small change, the volume is relatively nothing. Note too that all three territories have preyty strong Internet connections, the volume of lettermail is decreasing there as it has in the South. Perhaps more so, the Internet has replaced the Sears catalogue.

[Big Guy]

I have mobility issues and am classified as "handicapped". I do have more and different challenges than a fully mobile individual. The government does allow for certain special tax deductions on Ontario provincial taxes and preferred parking. In Ontario, the Trillium Foundation provides financial support for special health needs depending on income.

Since I am retired and on different pensions (including government pensions), most of my bills are paid for through these pensions.

The biggest support I find is from the community. People will generally go out of their way to assist those who are obviously having difficulty. Many service clubs assist in transportation. Our local legion provides cadet volunteers (for free) to cut grass and shovel snow to those elderly who request the service.

I believe that those who choose to stay independent in their own living quarters have no right to special delivery services. The price that you pay for that independence is to organize assistance in areas you require.

[hitops]

Absolutely. Every neighbourhood has kids more than happy to take a maalbox key and walk a few feet to the community box for a few bucks.

We don't need somebody from Canada Post involved beyond getting it to the community box.

But that would require people actually form human relationships with others, treat them nicely and try to create an arrangement. Sounds scary.

There are certainly people with legitimate disabilities. The majority today however, are just issues of self-abuse. Can't remember the last person with 'back problems' I saw that wasn't obese.

There are tons of private organizations that help people like that. But those organizations also require you to deal in good faith with them, treat with workers with basic respect and form some kind of relationship with them. Many people who want gov to fund services don't want to have to give anything, they want to remain isolated and harbor contempt for those who pay, and never have any accountability to them. Just the sheer inconvenience of speaking with another human with anything other than total selfishness and anger is beyond them.

I can't tell you how many patients get upset that when they get their free, volunteer drivers the drivers don't pick them up in exactly the right way, drive the right way, come at exactly x time etc. And they feel it's ok to yell at them, be rude etc. Total lack of gratitude.

Edited October 28, 2014 by hitops

[peoples advocate]

His version of job creation.

Wake up people get rid of this man now .

[peoples advocate]

I at one time worked in Halifax for a private company that delivered mail.

[Boges]

The Canada Post ads comparing Purolator to Santa have started.

[westguy]

Canada post should be self sufficient. most mail nowadays is flyers which most people just throw in the garbage.

[Big Guy]

So this year its going to be Purolator and not Santa who is going to put those lumps of coal into my sock above the fireplace. Makes me feel a lot better.

[Boges]

Canada post should be self sufficient. most mail nowadays is flyers which most people just throw in the garbage.

It's been said in this thread that it is, because of Purolator. The parcel service is subsidizing the daily mail delivery.

[ProudCanadianConservative]

First off living in rural Canada where I don't receive door-to-door delivery, I have a hard time seeing the big deal. And do you not think there are disabled people here, they are doing fine with post office boxes. Next I strongly doubt USPS has door-to-door in rural areas, plus I wouldn't use the US as an example as they are 17 trillion dollars in debt. Lastly postal services are a dying business via e-mail, postal services make most of their money on online purchases of products, and as new technologies are developed like drones that service will begin to die.

[Big Guy]

I believe that the problem is one of REMOVING something that people have perceived as an entitlement. Those that had purchased or rented in an area where there was no delivery have no problem with it. Those who purchased while there was door to door feel ,that they are being deprived of a service to which they are entitled. They resent that change and I understand when they do.

That is why governments (and especially those in the USA) understand how difficult it is to remove an entitlement. That is why Obamacare in the USA will never be rescinded.

[ProudCanadianConservative]

That is why governments (and especially those in the USA) understand how difficult it is to remove an entitlement. That is why Obamacare in the USA will never be rescinded.

As Reagan once said "the closest thing to eternal life on Earth is a government bureaucracy"

[Michael Hardner]

As Reagan once said "the closest thing to eternal life on Earth is a government bureaucracy"

Yes, but money also has eternal life. Money and government go hand in hand.

[ProudCanadianConservative]

Yes, but money also has eternal life. Money and government go hand in hand.

Agreed, the only that changes in regards to money and government is people, people who control it and people who use it.