Canada Post: The End of an Era

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

They are discontinuing urban door to door delivery but keeping rural mailbox (end of driveway) delivery? Seems unfair considering urban areas already subsidize the postal rates of rural areas. I guess they must have thought it was too political considering the uproar about the safety review of rural mailboxes, and the over-representation of rural areas in Parliament.

When I lived in a rural area about 20 years ago, we had a PO box at the local general store which also doubled as the local post office. I don't believe any of the houses in the community actually had door-to-door delivery and people would always stop and get their mail at the same time as they stopped for gas or to pick up break and milk, etc. I assumed it was like this in most true rural areas.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Symz

I've heard some stories of people getting mixed mail in their box.

This happens with door-to-door delivery, too. I remember as a kid learning about what to do when we got someone else's mail.

The really nice thing with the community boxes is that there's an outgoing mail slot. Get someone else's mail? Pop it right back in. As opposed to having to take time out of your day to walk/drive to the nearest mail drop.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by niwell

This is pretty common in any neighbourhood built after the 90s or so isn't it? The only issue I can see is the lack of space for communal boxes in inner-city areas. Streets in my areas are already cluttered enough that I can't see much space for large areas of boxes like in the pictures above. Would probably end up being one on every street corner.

They started in 1985, and by the late 80s I believe it was the standard almost everywhere.

Usually the boxes can get placed where there are sidewalks and such, so you already have a grass median "separated" from your property. Even in the most stupidly designed suburb (ie: no sidewalks anywhere and sprawl sprawl sprawl), there is always some public space set aside for these sorts of things. They aren't ending up on anyone's front lawn, at least not that I've ever noticed.

And you mostly see 2 or 3 boxes together. Not 20 like in that picture. That is just epic fail. In fact, one of the cool side effects of the boxes is that they end up being a community poster spot - lost dog, kids mowing lawns, that sort of thing. It's something that is otherwise missing in most suburban areas and it's nice to have a spot for it.

[Acajack]

I actually like the community mailboxes. You get reasonably-sized packages in a secure location without having to go to the post office every time to pick them up.

Although I even wonder how viable the community mailboxes will be in the medium-term.

I suspect that Canada Post is mostly living off junk mail and parcel deliveries like Xpress Post at the moment, and if you think of trends, every person who puts on a little NO JUNK MAIL sticker eats into their bottom line just a little bit more.

[Boris2k7]

Originally Posted by freeweed

They started in 1985, and by the late 80s I believe it was the standard almost everywhere.

Usually the boxes can get placed where there are sidewalks and such, so you already have a grass median "separated" from your property. Even in the most stupidly designed suburb (ie: no sidewalks anywhere and sprawl sprawl sprawl), there is always some public space set aside for these sorts of things. They aren't ending up on anyone's front lawn, at least not that I've ever noticed.

And you mostly see 2 or 3 boxes together. Not 20 like in that picture. That is just epic fail. In fact, one of the cool side effects of the boxes is that they end up being a community poster spot - lost dog, kids mowing lawns, that sort of thing. It's something that is otherwise missing in most suburban areas and it's nice to have a spot for it.

Just to add to the above, in new communities they are often set up like this (I've marked the approximate location of the property line -- around where the fenceline is -- in red):



2-3 boxes on a concrete pad that's on the public land between the property line and the curb or the back of the sidewalk (if it exists). Often placed on the side of a corner lot. It can be a bit funny to see these pads suspended in the air in the time between when the curbs are poured and the house gets built.

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

When I lived in a rural area about 20 years ago, we had a PO box at the local general store which also doubled as the local post office. I don't believe any of the houses in the community actually had door-to-door delivery and people would always stop and get their mail at the same time as they stopped for gas or to pick up break and milk, etc. I assumed it was like this in most true rural areas.

some stats from here: http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12...lbox-delivery/

"5,094,694: The number of Canadians who get mail delivered to their door and who instead will see community mailboxes built in their neighbourhoods over the next five years. Mail delivery will not change for 757,843 Canadians in rural areas."

It was 840,000 households a few years ago so many rural mailboxes may have been removed as part of a massive safety review they have been doing. They have been reviewing every rural mailbox in Canada at a cost of $400 million.

http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/L...ve-mailboxes/1
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/200...of-rural-boxes

[WhipperSnapper]

I can't see community boxes in my neighbourhood. People will revolt. Heritage advocates will make things difficulr for CP as well.

[Black Star]

For me it's been 10 years since my dog has bitten a slow letter carrier!!!

No big deal for me.....

[matthew6]

Dang.... What will all the people who get the XpressPost packaged Mail Order Marijuana delivered to their door do?

[Mr.Wolf]

More jobs losses ...
We pay more and more taxes and receive less and less services.

[matthew6]

Originally Posted by Mr.Wolf

More jobs losses ...
We pay more and more taxes and receive less and less services.

...as long as the banks and corporations are doing well then all is fine.

[vid]

Canada Post is largely funded by its revenue from stamps and ad mail. This overhaul is designed to reduce the amount of tax subsidies they'll need over the long term.

There are very few places in Thunder Bay where residents use community mail boxes, so growing up I didn't know that people didn't get mail delivered right to their front doors every day. I only ever saw them on cul-de-sacs, and figured it was because the mailman didn't want to half to walk down them.

Rural mail here is delivered in right-hand-drive vehicles, the carrier rarely has to leave their seat to put mail into the box, and if they do, there is no door, so it is very quick to get back into the vehicle. They're weird looking things but they're effective. Photo.

[VANRIDERFAN]

As far as I know there is still some Rural Route postal delivery where your mail is delivered to the end of your lane. I know that there are some south of Brandon on 10 highway. But these are few and far between.
As long as I could remember we drove into town to the post office to get our mail, and every one else in town and the surrounding area did the same.
When I moved into a city I always had a community box so I never gave it a second thought. Any packages that could not fit in the package box were to be picked up at the local distribution area, which in Western Canada has always been the local Shoppers Drug Mart.
Most of the job loses will be from attrition. CP says that 20k people will be retiring in the next 5 years.

Oliva Chow was on TV today complaining that old people will not be able to get their mail anymore. Newsflash Olivia, old people in rural Canada have been travelling to get their mail for at least 50 years.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

some stats from here: http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12...lbox-delivery/

"5,094,694: The number of Canadians who get mail delivered to their door and who instead will see community mailboxes built in their neighbourhoods over the next five years. Mail delivery will not change for 757,843 Canadians in rural areas."

It was 840,000 households a few years ago so many rural mailboxes may have been removed as part of a massive safety review they have been doing. They have been reviewing every rural mailbox in Canada at a cost of $400 million.

http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/L...ve-mailboxes/1
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/200...of-rural-boxes

So the hicks who keep the Tories in power still get door-to-door while those damned leftie urban elites don't. How convenient.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I can't see community boxes in my neighbourhood. People will revolt. Heritage advocates will make things difficulr for CP as well.

Kind of what I was referring to in my post above. They work great in newer areas and can be adapted for many no doubt. But a serious redesign will have to be done to the standard boxes in many areas. My neighbourhood (and most of central TO) does not have that boulevard strip. The boxes literally would be in someones front yard.

That being said I wouldn't mind an innovative urban solution for the CP boxes.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by whatnext

So the hicks who keep the Tories in power still get door-to-door while those damned leftie urban elites don't. How convenient.

Hey there jackass. Most of the RR boxes are in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario. Not really overwhelming Tory country.

[DrNest]

Personally I think it's disgusting that they're planning on stopping door-to-door delivery. I can't comprehend that people actually like the idea of a community mailbox. For me this is a big mistake for CP, and is yet another nail in their coffin.

[Architype]

I think it's a fair idea for them to increase their efficiency and save on costs. It takes little effort to take a short walk to a community mailbox and actually helps get people out walking. Aside from this, Canada Post still provides an essential service, while the surge in online shopping must be a very good revenue generator, and continues to ensure Canada Post has an important role in commerce.

What bugs me though is the high rate of mail going to the wrong addresses.

[rbt]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I can't see community boxes in my neighbourhood. People will revolt. Heritage advocates will make things difficulr for CP as well.

They did that in my fathers town. As a result, CP ditched the community box idea and instead gave everybody a POBox at a single central building.

[manny_santos]

Where I live in central Kingston, the only place the community mailboxes could possibly go are in the parks. The houses are very close to the sidewalk and there's no right-of-way between the sidewalk and the roadway - much narrower right-of-way for streets than average compared to most Canadian cities. In some cases there wouldn't even be enough room between the sidewalk and the houses.

Example: http://goo.gl/maps/H7nLD

As for how much mail I get? In the past month I can think of the following:

- Christmas card from family
- Hydro bill
- Magazine addressed to someone who lived at my address over a year ago
- Insurance advertising
- Pizza advertising

Where I work we get a lot more mail - our clients pay us by cheque (corporate policies we have no control over), we get frequent mail from the bank and CRA, and a lot more junk mail than I get at home. B2B junk mail is a lot more annoying than the household AdMail, as it tends to be large catalogs for products we don't need.