By Simon Grant (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: January 7, 2015
They say neither rain nor sleet nor hail can stop Canadian mail, but budgeting sure can. Canada Post is implementing community postal boxes in Abbotsford’s downtown core to service 12,000 residences. This is part of Canada Post’s nationwide five-point plan to secure its future.
The last time Canada Post experienced a net profit was 2010, with reported net losses of $188 million in 2011 and $269 million in 2013, and an expected annual deficit of $1 billion by 2020. By implementing community postal boxes, which 66 per cent of Canadian residences already use, they can avoid this. Seeing as Canada Post is a Crown corporation (owned by the government), and Crown corporations cannot be legally bankrupt, this is basically a $1 billion annual bonus to us, the taxpayers. (Win!)
If saving money is not a good enough selling point for implementing community postal boxes, perhaps safety is. Rover will no longer feast upon the postman’s leg. With less injury comes less workers’ compensation and fewer sick days. Fewer sick days means more productivity. Couple increased productivity with the efficiency of a community box (that is, amalgamating dozens of residences to one single box) and we might not be able to call it “snail mail” anymore.
Of course, there are residents who are legitimately injured or frail and unable to walk to a community mail box. If you are such a person, take heart: Canada Post has an opt-out form that, if completed, will still allow you to receive mail in the traditional way.
I have also seen worry expressed about mass identity theft, but community boxes have been used for decades in places like trailer parks, rural areas, and apartment buildings, and serve most residences already with few occurrences of mass identity theft. Besides, if thieves want your identity they can just as easily hack into your bank account, steal your wallet, or even break into your house to steal your mail. Also, most community boxes have some protective barrier like a lock and key, and they are placed in highly visible areas to deter theft.
There is also legitimate worry about layoffs. Canada Post has directly stated that this is not an issue. This is because while roughly 6 to 8,000 positions are being eliminated, an estimated 15,000 employees will retire in the next five years. They will actually be hiring people.
So, no matter which way you look at it, the move to community postal boxes provides better service for a lower price.
Wins all around!
