Rain or shine, John Peters has a reason to grab his mail almost every day. He gets all his bills delivered by mail, along with the odd letter, charity pamphlet or subscription.
Luckily for the 78-year-old, he’s one of four million Canadians whose mail is still delivered to his door -- but that is likely to change.
Yesterday, Ottawa authorized Canada Post to end door-to-door mail delivery along with other cost-cutting measures to help make the corporation more profitable. The move would convert Canada’s remaining four million addresses to community mailboxes.
Peters struggles with mobility issues, but taking one step outside his front door to reach his mail isn’t a problem. Walking any further would be “an inconvenience,” he said.
“We get a piece of mail every day. Today, I got two bills,” Peters told CTV News prior to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers entering a nationwide strike on Thursday.
Peters questions how he’d get his mail in the winter or when the weather deteriorates for days on end.
“I’ve had a stroke, so I don’t get around that great,” he said.
“I probably wouldn’t go out when it’s snowing or raining.”
Athena Felekides, a Canadian senior, tells CTV News that she relies on Canada Post’s home-delivery service to deliver her bills.
“With all the fraud happening on the internet, I want my bills in my hands,” she said in response to a callout asking Canadians their thoughts on the Canada Post changes.
Felekides isn’t the only one with tech concerns.
Susan Badali, another senior, says that she receives all her bills via mail. She worries about late payments as she doesn’t have a computer and can’t do online banking.
“For the younger generation it’s great, but for all of the senior citizens out here who are not technologically savvy, it is not great at all,” Badali said.
‘There’s no distance that’s a good distance’
Seniors aren’t the only ones who could face barriers when accessing community mailboxes.
Allen Mankewich, interim executive director for the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities, said there were accessibility concerns when Canada Post first introduced the community mailbox model years ago. Those same concerns remain today.
“Community mailboxes are already a struggle to get to, especially in cities like Winnipeg where you have snow on the ground for a few months out of the year,” he said.
“For some people, even ten metres is too far. There’s no distance that’s a good distance.”
Many Canadians still receive crucial government payments and letters for medical appointments in the mail. If people can’t get to their mailbox on time, Mankewich said it could have “a big impact on someone’s life.”
Canada Post currently offers a delivery accommodation program. Customers can request accommodations to make it easier to access mailboxes. In some cases, the postal service may provide home delivery where it’s difficult for customers to reach a community mailbox.
Mankewich is hopeful Canada Post will continue this program despite Thursday’s announcement.
“They do have obligations under federal accessibility legislation to provide their services in a manner that meets people’s needs,” Mankewich explained.
‘Digital alternatives’
Some Canadian seniors aren’t sad to see Canada Post’s door-to-door delivery annulled. Marguerite Luczay, 81, says she has no objections to the stoppage.
“Most of my bills are now sent via email and my friends long ago stopped sending greeting cards,” she told CTV News.
Luczay says she empathizes with the workers that may lose their jobs but recognizes that times are changing.
Alan Wiese suggests that Canadian consumer behaviour has changed throughout the years, making the need for door-to-door delivery obsolete.
“The Canadian government allocates billions of dollars annually to support this service, which is facing significant competition from digital alternatives,” he says.
“Canadians rely on online platforms for banking, shopping, communication, and utility management, reducing dependency on traditional mail delivery services.”
He points to available online banking services for seniors who may find these changes challenging, saying digital tools are widely accessible.
“Daily mail delivery is increasingly unnecessary, and transitioning to a weekly schedule could improve operational efficiency.”
According to Public Services and Procurement Canada, three-quarters of Canadians receive mail through community, apartment, or rural mailboxes. Only one quarter still receive door-to-door delivery.
The government says converting the remaining 4 million addresses to community mailboxes will generate close to $400 million in annual savings.
