After many rumours of change, Canada Post has confirmed that changes are coming to the way we receive our mail. Having mail carriers go door to door is just too expensive and starting next year, they will start to phase out door to door delivery of mail. This does not mean you will not receive mail, just that Canada Post will start installing community mailboxes in most neighbourhoods and you will pick your mail up from the box rather than at your door. For me, this doesn’t mean much but with a lot of elderly neighbours, I feel for them while walking out in high heat / cold icy wintery days to check for mail after being so used to delivery at the door.
- 5,094,694 people get door-to-door delivery in Canada.
- Average cost per address is $269.
- 3,804, 574 get mail through group mail boxes.
- Average cost per box is $117.
This also means that less mail carriers will be needed, 6000-8000 will lose their jobs over the next five years (although CPC says that more than this amount are set to retire in that time period).
On top of that, stamps are about to increase by a huge amount, currently stamps cost $0.63 but starting on March 31, 2014 you will pay $1 per stamp (or buy them in a book of 10 or more and pay $0.85) – coupon traders, start buying permanent stamps now! Will such a high stamp price impact what you send by mail?
UPDATE: Canada Post mentioned on twitter (after many questions asking why they removed permanent P stamps from their website already) that P stamps will need to be topped up to the new rate. The 5 year plan however states that you can use them but they will pull the sale of them until the new pricing goes into effect next year.
I get my mail through a community box. Yes it does stink to have to walk to it,but it’s not too far and good for packages. When you receive a package that does not require a signature and is sent through Canada Post, you don’t have to go and pick it up at a post office, they have bigger boxes for that in the community box. They simply put a key in your personal box for it and you deposit it in the out going mail slot. Which is also a nice feature – it’s all in one place. I prefer it, just feel sorry for elderly that can not get around easily and have no one to get the mail for them.
Tasha, I guess it depends how close the boxes are too, we have quite narrow sidewalks here, unless it goes in someone’s garden I can’t think where it will go
I’m not surprized; we are lucky we’ve had door-to-door delivery this long!
As for the cost of a stamp, it’s still a bargain at $1.
Tasha, I didn’t know that’s how it worked for packages – that would be great!
The UK are only *just* changing to one delivery a day (they used to have one early and one around lunch) and still door to door
One dollar! My eyes bulged out when I read that — wow.
I can kiss my job at Canada Post goodbye. I’ve been an on call employee for them for 5 years, waiting for a permanent job. At $1 a piece our mail volumes will drop dramatically, plus less service for your money! They won’t be hiring me, if someone retires they will eliminate the position. With community mailboxes they will also eliminate LOADS of letter carrier positions. Time to look for a new job.
I love having a community mailbox. It’s extremely convenient for packages, which are really the only thing I receive on a regular basis. The only real issue I have with it is that in my neighbourhood many people immediately litter their junk mail at the community box site, which is unsightly and has to be cleaned by those of us who care about the appearance of public spaces. I would the cost savings even further and cut postal delivery to three times a week. There is simply no need for daily delivery these days (in my opinion, of course).
Many small businesses would disagree with you Ali, cutting delivery every day was one of the options they looked at and the one with the most complaints
According to the pdf document on the Canada Post website about the 5 point plan, “P” stamps will still be valued at the current rate even after March 31st 2014 Specifically they say:
“Canadians who already have Permanent™ or “P” stamps will be able to
continue to use them without needing additional postage. However, the sale
of new Permanent or “P” stamps will be suspended until the transition is
successfully completed. “
Yikes – I really feel like Canada Post will be shooting themselves in the foot. They are already complaining about profits, well at $1 you can bet a lot of people will phase out Christmas Cards and Birthday Cards etc and simply send free e-cards. I know I will. As for business, we phased out Canada Post a while ago. We send all reports and invoices via email.
so you can’t buy P stamp anymore now?
Wow… CP has some gall to increase the price of stamps by almost 60%. If the USPS did that there’d be a major uproar. But Canadians being Canadians, we’ll just sit back and let them do what they want.
Buy a roll of P stamps at Costco for $59.99 while you can!
Change of tune? If they change this rule, I will head a class action lawsuit. Keep all documentation online about P stamps for use in class action
Canada Post Cares @canadapostcares 45m
@boilerrat Permanent stamps never expire and always go by the current going domestic rate. Thanks!
@Justin, yes they were quick to change the info when people pointed their Permanent Stamp advertising out to them
Oh my, almost 60% increase is way too steep! I will just send electronic Christmas and Birthday cards from now on!
im confused. so after march 2014, i have to pay the additional difference of $1-0.63? or no?