Cutting Door-to-Door Service at Canada Post
There was a time when delivering the mail wasn't just important, it was an honour. The RMS Titanic was the Royal Mail Ship Titanic, under contract to carry The Post. Like the ship however, postal prestige has sunk from sight. And now, the friendly man or woman who delivers the bills and flyers will soon never darken doors again. Urban door-to-door delivery is to be phased out.
• Canada Post: Mail volume, costs, and other quick facts -- CBC News
Canada Post serves 15.1 million addresses, but only
one-third of Canadians (about 5 million homes) get
their mail delivered to their door. Everyone else picks
up mail from community, apt or rural-lot-line
mailboxes. (CBC)
Canada Post says one billion fewer letters were home delivered last year than six years before. Already most Canadians visit a community mailbox. But the termination of home delivery still surprised many Canadians. And though snail mail may seem almost as quaint as sealing wax, it remains important to many Canadians.
Tony Dolan is the National Chair for the Council of Canadians with Disabilities. He was in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
Many Canadian homes still have tiny doors into their kitchens, openings for the milk delivery that will never come again. The mail slots in front doors seem about ready to meet the same fate. And some analysts believe the doors at Canada Post could soon close as well.
Ian Lee is a professor with the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University. He worked briefly for Canada Post as an analyst in the 1980s, trying to see if the service could be competitive with what was then the newest technology ... the fax machine. Ian Lee was in Berlin, Germany.
For some people the loss of mail service is about more than just convenience. Simone Castello is a big fan of hand-written letters. She's the life and relationships web editor for Canadian Living Magazine.
Here are her thoughts on The Lost Art of Letter Writing.
(Music: Please Read the Letter - Robert Plant & Alison Krause (2008)
If you have anything to say about letters, home delivery or Canada Post's decision, we'd love to hear from you.
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This segment was produced by The Current's Liz Hoath, Sujata Berry and Debbie Pacheco.