Nearly every resident in Mission will get their mail from a community mailbox by the end of next year.
Canada Post is eliminating door-to-door delivery to more than 6,100 addresses in Mission over the next 10 months. There are already 7,700 homes in Mission not receiving door-to-door service, said Anick Losier, spokesperson for Canada Post. After the transition, close to 99 per cent of residents in Mission will pick up their mail from a central location.
“Eventually, all door-to-door deliveries for Canadians will be moved to community mailboxes between now and 2019,” said Losier.
Residents making the switch this year will be receiving information about community mailboxes and a survey to let Canada Post know of their concerns or issues.
Canada Post wants to collect as much information from residents as possible before determining the location of the community mailboxes or establishing routes for its employees.
“We’re taking our time and doing lots of consultation,” said Losier, who stressed no employees are losing their job as a result of the change. “Any jobs cut will be done through attrition.”
Losier also added most mail is sorted in urban centres and even letters are pre-sorted before they get to Mission.
“The last sorts are done in Mission,” said Losier, noting Canada Posts’ action plan will help the corporation remain sustainable for the future.
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Royal City Local 740 vice president Angel Hoare said she is concerned about security of mail and the impact the change will have on residents.
The union organized a rally last week to protest the change. The group also collected about 450 signatures from people opposed to the community mailbox system and are still hoping the decision can be reversed.
According to Hoare, there are 33 employees working out of the Canada Post office on First Avenue.
“Mission will be losing 33 jobs,” said Hoare, noting employees will be transferred to Abbotsford.
“It’s important to get the information out in the community,” said Hoare. “They need to be aware of issues for community mailboxes, like vandalism and break-ins.”
When a central mailbox is broken into, thieves will have access to hundreds of pieces of mail from numerous addresses, yet it’s only considered as one incident, Hoare explained.
Letter carriers are also part of the community and sometimes they are the only interaction a senior living on his own may have, Hoare added.
“We’re a part of the community. It warms my heart when I know Mr. Brown is okay. If I don’t see him in a while, I’ll knock on his door. A lot of seniors are shut-ins.”
“Canada will be the only G8 nation that does not have door-to-door mail delivery,” added Kerisma Vere, Royal City Local 740 president. “We provide service on many different levels. Being in the community is invaluable.”
