From pragmatism and concern to 'get over it,' Canadians react to changes to mail delivery

worry most seniors. Surrender that it makes financial signified. And, from some who already feature community mailboxes: "Get over it."

Canadians voiced a wide range of reactions after a federal government announcement that could change how many of them get their mail.

Ottawa said Thursday it's allowing Canada Post to change the way it operates in an effort to save the carrier, which is effectively going bankrupt. The corporation will no longer be required to do door-to-door home deliveries, shifting the four million addresses that still receive mail at home to community mailboxes over the coming years. In response, all Canada Post members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers immediately went on strike.

For some people in communities that still have home delivery, the news is bittersweet.

"I'd rather have my mail delivered at my house," said Suzanne Pelletier of Edmunston, N.B. It will be fine to go to a community mailbox, she added, but it's not her preference.

"I think it will make things more complicated," said Nazar Horelskyi in Moncton, lamenting the time he'll have to take out of his day to visit a community mailbox.

"Mail should be mailed... I think they should change something else, but not that."

How will the end of Canada Post's home deliveries affect rural communities?

It really depends where you live, according to Janine McGregor in Halifax. While she currently has home delivery, she says she grew up in Ontario with a community mailbox. 

"I think it's fine if you're in the city and it's on the same street as you. But if you're rural and have to drive somewhere far, that's not great."

Three-quarters of Canadians already get their mail from community mailboxes, a government official said in a background briefing Thursday, and moving the rest to the communal system will save $400 million annually, a government statement said.

While home deliveries could be phased out, the corporation's delivery accommodation program, which allows people with mobility issues to arrange for weekly home delivery or other accessibility options, will remain in effect, the government official said.

Still, there's concern some vulnerable Canadians, such as seniors, might feel the changes more deeply.

Many older adults, particularly those living alone, in rural or remote areas, or with mobility limitations rely on regular mail delivery for access to medications, financial documents, government benefits and health-care information, according to Mark Hazelden, executive director of the National Institute on Ageing.

"As Canada modernizes its postal services, it must do so in a way that upholds the dignity and independence of older adults," Hazelden said.

"Postal delivery is not simply a convenience. For many older Canadians, it is a vital public service that enables them to stay healthy, connected and financially secure." 

Lori Hoddinott, the mayor of McNab/Braeside, a rural community west of Ottawa, says the bulk of their residents are seniors living on rural roads. And her concern is how these seniors will get their mail in the winter, when snow drifts between farm fields and roads are icy.

"Especially with a time-sensitive mail, which we all get but more so the seniors," Hoddinott said. "Some medications are done on home delivery. Farm operations rely heavily on Canada Post for timely deliveries."

Online, some of those who already have community mailboxes were sometimes less sympathetic.

"I grew up in an area that's had community boxes since the early '90s. I don't understand the problem," commented someone on Reddit.

"People act like community boxes are a harbinger of the apocalypse," wrote someone else on the Canada subreddit. "The neighbourhood I grew up in had them 40 years ago. "It was fine. It's still fine. Time to get over it."

On the Winnipeg subreddit, some thought the change made sense.

"If it saves money, I'm all for it," wrote one person.

The decision makes sense from a business perspective, echoed Miriam Lagunas, also in Halifax. 

"Having to walk a little bit to go fetch my mail is not a big deal," she said.

"What about the people who aren't capable of getting out of their house and getting to their mailbox, and people living alone. What's going to happen to them?"

Zachary Shilling, in Vancouver, says they don't rely on Canada Post's home delivery in "any kind of life-or-death way," noting their last piece of mail was a bill a week previously. So Shilling is fine with the change if it means better conditions for Canada Post workers.

"I care more about labour rights than I care if my Temu packages are late," Shilling said.

Senior Writer & Editor

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