Anger mounts as Canada Post continues to shut down rural mailbox delivery

Rural residents left in the lurch by the sudden loss of home mail delivery are appealing for political help as Canada Post continues to shut down country mail routes for health and safety reasons.

Some New Brunswick residents, including seniors and people with disabilities, were told by Canada Post on Tuesday they will have to make 40-kilometre round trips to get their mail.

“We feel like second-class citizens,'' said John Moreau, who lives in a farming community about 20 kilometres from the Fredericton post office where his mail is now being held.

“There has been no consultation, no public forum whatsoever. We've just been abandoned.''

The corporation said this week it is reviewing its entire rural mail service following complaints from the unionized workers who deliver the mail.

The workers say they are suffering repetitive stress injuries from reaching into mailboxes. As well, there are concerns about heavy traffic on some roads.

Rural service in a number of communities across Canada already has been suspended, including several communities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

But residents are complaining that Canada Post made the decision without putting practical alternatives in place.

In one New Brunswick community, people were told to pick up their mail at a convenience store in a nearby village where clerks are usually busy serving customers looking for video rentals, dry cleaning and catalogue orders.

As well, all rural residents attempting to get their mail must present photo identification — preferably a driver's licence or passport.

“People are steaming mad,'' said Fredericton MP Andy Scott, whose office has been inundated with calls and e-mails from furious Canada Post customers. “This whole situation could have been averted by better planning. At a minimum, they should delay any changes until superboxes are put in place.''

In the House of Commons, Conservative MP Bill Casey said Canada Post needs to reconsider its decision.

He's seen several rural routes closed in his Nova Scotia riding and is lobbying Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon to address the issue.

“I think the people that have the boxes declared unsafe should have the opportunity to make them safe, and at the moment Canada Post is not allowing them to do that, and that's unfair,'' Casey said.

Meanwhile, Moreau and other angry residents are gathering petitions they will present to the federal Conservative government.

Moreau said people do not accept Canada Post's argument that it has a legal obligation to cut mail delivery because of its workers' concerns.

“We don't think it has anything to do with safety issues,'' said Moreau, whose house is on a quiet cul-de-sac.

“This is an opportunity for Canada Post to save a lot of dollars by jumping on an issue raised by unionized employees complaining about safety issues. They can get rid of a lot of employees and cut costs.''

Officials with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said they are just as surprised as rural residents by the actions taken by Canada Post.

Deborah Bourque, the president of CUPW, said there are legitimate health and safety concerns, but she said the answer is to make the routes safer, not cut service.

“We're looking at solutions that protect the health and safety of our members but which don't impact service in rural communities,'' Bourque said.

“That is something we're not prepared to put at risk. Universal public postal service means making sure folks in rural communities get door-to-door delivery and get a high quality of postal service.''

Canada Post promises community boxes
Halifax Daily News, Sec. National News, p 12 06-02-2006
Canada Post is promising to set up community mailboxes in
rural areas near Fredericton, after it cut off direct mail delivery
to post boxes.

The Crown corporation says the community mailboxes will be in
place by next week.

Customers have complained they weren't given notice of the end of
the direct delivery, with some saying they've been making a 40-
kilometre round trip to pick up their mail since the service was
cut.

Customers will receive their mailbox keys and information on
locations of the community boxes as it becomes available.

Canada Post plans to hold information sessions next week.

Canada Post has apologized for the inconvenience, saying it is
trying to resolve health and safety concerns with rural mailbox
delivery.