In 2015, the London chapter posed at a ‘community’ mailbox site transformed into a community garden of resistance.
The Council of Canadians London chapter distributed postcards and ‘decorated’ self-serve mailboxes yesterday to demand that the Liberal government fulfill its October 2015 election campaign promise to restore door-to-door postal service.
The outreach noted, “HELP US GET HOME MAIL DELIVERY BACK! Come help us distribute postcards and info letters to the neighbourhoods which were targeted for cuts to door-to-door service in 2015. In opposition and during the election, the Liberals opposed these service cuts — which were implemented in London AFTER they were elected in October 2015! Now they are in office, PM Trudeau and Minister Judy Foote (responsible for the Post Office) need reminding that a Parliamentary committee has recommended restoring Door-to-Door mail delivery in areas where this service was cut.”
It adds, “JOIN US! Monday April 17, from 2-4 pm. We will meet at 21 Carfrae Cres., the continuation of Richmond south of the river). We will distribute letters & postcards calling on Foote and the Prime Minister to put an end to this Harper Hangover! We will also have on hand stickers to ‘decorate’ Self-Serve Mailboxes with the message above, calling on Trudeau to keep his promise!”
DurhamRegion.com has reported, “About 100,000 households were converted from door-to-door delivery to community mailbox delivery in 2014. By early 2015, about one million households had either been converted to a community mailbox or had been informed that they would be converting over the course of the year. …A House of Commons report, entitled ‘The Way Forward for Canada Post’, contains recommendations that include the reinstatement of home mail delivery services. But, it only makes reference to those communities that were converted to community mailboxes after Aug. 3, 2015.”
When the Harper government first announced that door-to-door mail delivery would stop for five million households over a five year period, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow commented, “This is yet another case of a Harper-driven impoverishment of an essential service. It will negatively affect seniors, people with disabilities and other Canadians who rely on the mail.”
The Liberal platform during the October 2015 election unequivocally promised, “We will save home mail delivery. By ending door-to-door mail delivery, Stephen Harper is asking Canadians to pay more for less service. That is unacceptable. We will stop Stephen Harper’s plan to end door-to-door mail delivery in Canada and undertake a new review of Canada Post to make sure that it provides high-quality service at a reasonable price to Canadians, no matter where they live.”
Yesterday, Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson wrote, “The Liberals promised to end the conversion of home delivery of mail to community mailboxes. A subsequent study estimated that abandoning conversion would cost $400-million and sink the Crown corporation’s efforts to stay in the black. A final decision is expected this spring on whether to break the promise or lose the savings. Both choices are lousy. Shame on the Liberals for painting themselves into this corner.”
Public Services minister Judy Foote recently began an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons. She will be replaced by Natural Resources minister Jim Carr during her absence.
The Council of Canadians first highlighted its opposition to the cancellation of door-to-door postal service in December 2013.
We await the full restoration of door-to-door mail delivery.
