Canada Post plans to end home delivery. Here’s how community mailboxes will work

If your dog goes crazy every time the mail delivery person comes to your door, you’ll be relieved to know that this will soon no longer be a problem.

But beyond that, many people are unsure what the pending end of door-to-door mail delivery means for them.

Canada Post said Monday it is moving transformation plan That includes changes to community mailboxes, eventually ending home delivery. This is something that Public Services and Procurement Canada was guided by last year – as it faces what has been called an “existential” crisis and shaky financial situation.

Toronto City County. Josh Matlow understands that Canada Post needs to adapt. But, like many Canadians, she has a lot of questions about switching to community mailboxes and “about everything from beauty and design to security and accessibility.”

Here are answers to some of your questions about the future of mail delivery in Canada.

How soon can this happen?

In a statement to CBC News, Canada Post says it has begun taking “initial steps” of its plan, consulting first with bargaining agents for its unionized employees, represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), and then with municipal officials and other stakeholders.

Ultimately the amendment would also require the Crown corporation to cooperate with the federal government. canadian postal service charterWhich currently states that it will “deliver to every address in Canada,” including “to the door.”

Currently, mail is still delivered to the door of approximately four million addresses.

Joel Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, Last time I said that the process It will take about nine years to complete most of the door-to-door service, with most of it expected to be completed in the first four.

Where will mailboxes go in big cities?

There is much uncertainty about how Canada Post will install community mailboxes in larger cities. Urban planners who spoke to CBC News are skeptical that sidewalks will be a possible option.

But not ideal.

“Sidewalks are already filled with a lot of urban furniture, which reduces space for flow,” said Richard Shearmur, a professor in the school of urban planning at McGill University in Montreal.

This includes waste receptacles, bus shelters, lampposts and advertising boards – and that doesn’t even include all the people, strollers and mobility devices moving in and out of buildings.

While other options could include placing community mailboxes at the edges of city parks or taking up curbside parking spaces, Shearmur says some type of protective barrier would be required to ensure safety.

He says it will ultimately depend on the size of the establishments and how many boxes will be needed to serve the neighborhood.

But he points to Canada Post Does not require permission from municipal governments Installing community mailboxes on city property.

For that reason, and others, Metallo last time a proposal was made – which was approved – requesting Canada Post work with the City of Toronto to address “everything from security, to accessibility, to the aesthetic impacts of these proposed mailboxes”.

Will parcels be delivered to community mailboxes?

Community mailboxes typically have designated compartments for large envelopes and small packages.

In an email to CBC, Canada Post said “most parcels” will fit in one of the customer’s locked bins or secure parcel boxes (the key to access it will be left in the recipient’s personal mailbox).

Larger items, which already require a signature, will still be delivered to the customer’s door or held at a Canada Post office or depot for pick up.

Are there security and accessibility concerns?

Carrie Mitchell, associate professor of urban planning at the University of Waterloo, says walking a few hundred meters to a community mailbox might not be a problem for them, but not for seniors and others with mobility issues.

During the winter season, piles of snow and ice make walking on sidewalks even more difficult and snow removal can be time-consuming, especially after a severe storm.

She says some parts of some cities, especially older areas and rural areas, may not even have sidewalks on certain stretches of road.

“So now you’re forcing people to either walk across the street or drive to the community mailbox,” she said.

Additionally, she says cars may pull onto the shoulders and into bike lanes to reach mailboxes, endangering cyclists and people riding scooters.

What about rural communities?

Shearmur says that in suburban parts of Canada, it may take only five minutes to walk or drive to a community mailbox.

But he says this won’t be the case for areas where homes are less concentrated and where mail is delivered to boxes at the edge of a resident’s property, along an adjacent street.

While centralized community mailboxes could reduce driving time and fuel costs for Canada Post, he says they would certainly increase both for rural residents trying to get their mail.

Shearmur says Canada Post will also need to invest in creating a space where people can safely pull off the road, and not just onto the shoulder where other vehicles can drive by.

How do we deal with junk mail?

In many Canadian homes, flyers often go straight into the trash or recycling bin.

Matlow is concerned that people may throw stacks of paper ads and coupons on the ground next to community mailboxes. He wants a plan to deal with it.

Although Canada Post says on its website that it will clean up litter, it may be up to the public to report it first.

There is also an option of Stop receiving some unaddressed itemsIncluding junk mail, simply by placing a note on or inside your mailbox where the delivery person can see it.