Tag: Canada Post

Strong Canadian dollar spurs Web sales

Posted by | Sep 27, 2007 | |

The ritual has resumed, as it always does when the Canadian dollar strengthens against the U. S. dollar. Throngs of Canadian shoppers cross the border in search of lower prices and greater selection at American stores.

But when the Canadian dollar reached parity last week, there was a new twist: online sales now let Canadians hunt for bargains in the United States without leaving home. If early indications hold true, some of the biggest winners from the rise of the Canadian dollar may ultimately be online retailers based in the United States. Because Canada’s relatively small population of just 33 million makes online operations less cost-effective, few Canadian retailers – less than a third by some estimates – sell through the Web. That limited local competition, combined with a high Canadian dollar and the incremental cost of expanding into Canada, make the country a tempting target for American retailers.

No one measures Canadian cross-border spending, virtual or otherwise. But, Paulina Sazon, a direct marketing strategist at Canada Post, said that the Canadian postal service had seen the volume of shipments through its special cross-border service for U.S. retailers increase 38 percent over the last year

A spokeswoman at UPS Canada, Christina Falcone, said the shipping company had seen “significant growth,” thanks to the strengthening Canadian dollar.

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Canada Postal code: Deliver advertising, or else

Posted by | Sep 19, 2007 | |

Canadians can expect a lot more unwanted advertising in their mailboxes as Canada Post cracks down on letter carriers who have been plucking out marketing mailings with outdated names.

Carriers have, on their own, been quietly defying Canada Post policy that specified that all advertising mail is to be delivered to customers, even if it is addressed to a previous occupant – and even if the recipient says they don’t want it.

No more: Over the summer, letter carriers started operating under the letter of that postal law, meaning each and every piece of mail must be delivered. Carriers are grumbling, and saying customers are incredulous they must intercept their mail – every day – in order to have such incorrectly aimed advertising mailers returned.

But Canada Post says it won’t endanger its half-billion in revenue from mass mailers, and that it is obliged to deliver the advertising pitches that generate the cash, 1.47 billion pieces of individually addressed ad mail last year. “You pay to have mail sent to somebody, you don’t pay to receive it,” spokesman John Caines said.

Canadians can arrange to refuse delivery of junk mail – Canada Post calls that unaddressed ad mail – and they can request to have their own names stricken from direct-mailing lists. But their only recourse in the case of advertising that has their address but someone else’s name is to continue to send the mail back in the hopes the sender eventually gets the message, or to contact each company directly.

It’s not clear just how much mail was being diverted by letter carriers, but a Canada Post study found that 7 per cent of the total mailings weren’t being delivered within a three-day window.

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Post Canada: Postal service alarm bells ringing hollow

Posted by | Sep 7, 2007 | |

A Victoria postal union has raised the spectre of reduced postal services in the region, but the claims are unfounded, says Canada Post.

In a news release, Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 850 officials said Canada Post is planning to move postal services from the existing corporate retail outlet (CRO) at 1625 Fort St. to a retail postal outlet (RPO) in an adjacent building.

But Canada Post media relations manager Lillian Au said the claim is baseless.

“We have had no discussions concerning the closure of Depot 9 at 1625 Fort St.,” she said. “Our only discussions dealt with ways to further improve service in the area.”

Canada Post is considering a second retail outlet in the area.

This consideration has resulted from regular reviews of dealer networks and service demands, she said. Extended hours and Saturday openings are in high demand by post office customers.

Allen Pleasants, president of Local 850, said employees at an RPO are given only one day of training as opposed to two weeks if working in a CRO. He said that inadequately trained employees could reduce the service levels to Oak Bay customers.

But Au said staff at RPOs is given the same level of training as staff at CROs.

And while Pleasant contends that businesses will suffer as the RPO will not offer bulk mailing services or services in the French language, Au said that the decision to offer French language services is based on census figures.

“If the area is designated bilingual, then we will offer these services,” said Au. Such is not the case at the Fort Street depot, she added.

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Canada Post will provide free delivery of letters to deployed troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas

Posted by | Aug 30, 2007 | |

Canada Post announced today it will begin providing free delivery of letters from family and friends to Canadian troops deployed in Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas effective October 26, 2007 until the start of 2009. At that time, Canada Post and the Department of National Defence will jointly evaluate the program.
Canada Post also announced it will again provide free parcel service for family and friends of deployed Canadian troops for the coming 2007 holiday season. The program, which will run from October 26, 2007 to January 11, 2008, means Canada Post will deliver parcels free of charge to Canadian troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas. At the end of this period, Canada Post and the Department of National Defence will jointly evaluate the program, as was the case last year with the parcel delivery program.
With capacity limitations on military aircraft carrying supplies and munitions to deployed forces, this offer is restricted to family and friends of the deployed service men and women serving overseas in war zones. That includes members of the Canadian Forces serving in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sinai and Jerusalem. Troops serving on any of the deployed Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships are also included in the offer.
To ensure the proper customs declaration form and addressing information, the letters and parcels will need to be deposited at one of Canada Post’s more than 6,600 full service retail outlets across the country (letters and packages dropped in regular street letter boxes will not qualify). They will then be forwarded to Canadian Forces Bases in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Victoria, British Columbia and Belleville, Ontario. Once delivered to the military bases, the Department of National Defence will take charge of the letters and parcels and ensure their delivery overseas. All mail must be addressed to a specific soldier, including rank and mission information.

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Library fears mail rate hike

Posted by | Aug 16, 2007 | |

In January a World Trade Organization ruling takes effect that would block Ottawa directly subsidizing postal rates for libraries. Canada Post would likely start charging libraries the full parcel rate – 13 times what it currently charges them to send materials to in the mail.

That would be a big hit for the Vancouver Island Regional Library system, which depends on the mail to reach customers in remote communities.

Brandon-Souris MP Merv Tweed, a Conservative, introduced a private members bill in June that would require Canada Post to continue the rate for books. Bill C458 would also expand it to include CDs and DVDs.

Not surprisingly, VIRL is backing the bill.

Board members hope users – and taxpayers – sign a petition available at library branches, and online at the virl.bc.ca website. They’re also soliciting support from member municipalities.

About 50 per cent of the population use libraries – much higher than other leisure facilities like swimming pools and recreation centres. But even non-users would be affected by higher costs, which mean higher taxes.

The library system, which serves the B.C. coast from Victoria to Queen Charlotte Islands, got unanimous support from Nanaimo city council and the Regional District of Nanaimo.

George Holme, RDN representative, takes a more pragmatic approach.

The federal government created the library book rate by an act of parliament in 1939, but in 1997 the World Trade Organization ruled Canada Post must bear the full cost of the subsidy. Canada Post won’t guarantee support for the rate beyond January 2008.

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