Despite some public efforts to stop the change, Campbell River is scheduled to lose its door-to-door mail delivery beginning this September.
Campbell River council’s request to meet with representatives from Canada Post at last week’s council meeting was merely an opportunity to get clarification on how the new community mailbox system will be implemented and what the public can expect from the new service.
Canada Post has already begun its five-year plan to phase out door-to-door delivery.
If some members of the public think the proposed meeting will change anything, then they haven’t been paying attention to what has already gone on in the rest of the country.
Communities across Canada have been voicing concerns and objections to the new community mailbox program, to no avail.
In Calgary, one woman has a community mailbox placed on her lawn, just by her kitchen window.
She says that no one from Canada Post or the city consulted with her about the location, despite promises from Canada Post to do just that.
She merely got a notice in the mail that it was being installed.
Campbell River council needs to prevent that kind of situation from happening here.
City staff are being consulted on where to place the new community mailboxes, but the locations have not been selected.
Staff need to ensure that the locations chosen don’t negatively impact homeowners.
Other questions need answers as well.
What mail service will be provided for seniors or other people with limited mobility?
What happens if the new mailbox is vandalized or robbed? Can mail be picked up at alternate locations?
The city can’t stop the change from happening, but it should do everything it can to manage how the change occurs.
Last week’s meeting was a good first step.
-Black Press
