Rural Canadians prepare to stamp on Canada Post
Following a wave of public condemnation, Canada Post officials will hold public information sessions this week to discuss their reasons for suddenly stopping individual mailbox delivery in a number of rural areas.
Canada Post spokeswoman Avril Vollenhoven said Monday that, so far, service has been suspended to 53,000 mailboxes across Canada as the corporation embarks on a health and safety review of rural delivery.
The workers say they are suffering repetitive stress injuries from reaching into mailboxes. As well, there are concerns about heavy traffic on some roads.
But rural residents say they're fed up with Canada Post's decision to stop delivery to the mailboxes, pending a review of its entire rural delivery system.
Many are eager to make that point in meetings scheduled for this week in four separate communities.
“They should drop their slogan that says they deliver from anywhere to anyone. It obviously doesn't apply to us,” said Steve Murchison, who lives about 20 kilometres south of Fredericton.
“If I ran a company the way they run a company, I'd be out of business in no time at all.”
Mr. Murchison said it's a bit late for Canada Post to consult with rural residents. He said there would have been more understanding if Canada Post had given people warning and made better preparations for the loss of service.
“To just say, ‘You don't have any mail any more. Go get it.' That was too much.”
Postal workers spent the weekend erecting community mailboxes in affected areas following complaints from people who had to travel long distances to retrieve their mail.
“We are bringing the mail closer to our customers to ease the burden, but it is still a temporary interim measure until Canada Post can work with its union and experts in the field of health and safety to find the right solution to the problems we are dealing with now,” Ms. Vollenhoven said in an interview.
She said it is still possible Canada Post may restore home delivery to some, if not all, rural mailboxes.
It is also possible many communities will lose home delivery for good.
“Canada Post is looking at all options,” she said.
Fredericton Member of Parliament Andy Scott said he has been told as many as 800,000 rural customers could ultimately be affected by Canada's Post's review of its service to outlying areas.
Scott said he will present several petitions from angry rural residents in Parliament this week. As well, he said he expects a Liberal motion on rural delivery to be debated on Friday.
“Canada Post officials should be prepared to get an earful during the meetings this week,” Mr. Scott said.
“They should start off by apologizing for interrupting service without any warning and be prepared to listen to suggestions. My sense is the question that will keep coming up from people is ‘What was Canada Post thinking'?”
Ms. Vollenhoven said the corporation has enlisted the help of the National Research Council, as well as transportation and traffic experts to study rural mail delivery.
The corporation said last week it is reviewing its entire rural mail service following complaints from the unionized workers who deliver the mail.
Officials with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers say rural carriers have legitimate concerns, but no one wanted Canada Post to use those health and safety issues to suspend service to entire communities.
“Not every mailbox on every route is unsafe,” said CUPW president, Deborah Bourque. “We need to find solutions that make those problem delivery spots safer.”
