Postal report is a major threat to rural post offices, not door-to-door delivery

Media stories on the report of the Canada Post Corporation Strategic Review (CPCSR) have falsely suggested that the report calls for the dropping of door-to-door mail delivery. Nowhere in the report does the CPCSR advisory panel recommend massive cuts to this service.

Many media outlets have also paid little attention to the most important recommendation in the report, which is the recommendation not to deregulate our public post office.

So why the focus on the door-to-door issue? It is possible that Canada Post is attempting to distract the media from the more politically volatile threats to service in the report, which are the rural recommendations. The advisory panel recommends that the current moratorium on post office closures in rural and small towns be replaced with new rules and procedures, including the ability to replace public post offices with private outlets. Private outlets would weaken service and destroy some of the better paying jobs in rural communities.

Rural communities have repeatedly shown that they are determined to keep their public post offices. They led a successful rebellion against closures and conversions to private outlets in the mid 80s and early 90s. In 1994, the newly-elected Liberal government announced a moratorium on public post office closures in rural and small towns. Ruralcommunities have subsequently worked hard to maintain this moratorium and public postal service.

It will be interesting to see what the Conservative government decides to do with the recommendations relating to rural service, door‑to-door delivery and other issues.

The real recommendations on door-to-door delivery follow:

47. The Advisory Panel recommends Canada Post specifically include in its annual report an overview on the delivery methods it uses, indicating the number of addresses served with each delivery method and the financial costs and environmental impact of each on a per-unit basis.

The CPCSR advisory panel is also recommending that Canada Post’s universal service obligation be defined in a ‘contract’ or ‘service charter’ between the Government of Canada and Canada Post in order to clarify expectations and responsibilities relating to service, including the following:

15. Canada Post will deliver mail using a variety of delivery modes - mailbox service at the door, community mailbox, post box in postal outlets, end-of-lane delivery, and so on. The delivery mode used in any community should be appropriate to the circumstance.

16. Canada Post may consider changes to the delivery network and submit proposals to the government for consideration as part of the annual corporate planning process.

17. As part of its annual report, Canada Post should present an assessment of the cost‑effectiveness and financial sustainability of the delivery modes and alternatives, so that policy-makers and Canadians can evaluate the 'value-for-money' character of each of the delivery instruments.

All CPCSR recommendations are available at:
http://www.cpcstrategicreview-examenstrategiquescp.gc.ca/
FinalReport/pt3-eng.html.
Please read the recommendations and encourage everyone you know to focus on the real issues in the report.