Canada Post might drop door-to-door delivery

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Sitting on her front porch, a senior citizen in Prince Albert’s east hill area happily greeted mail carrier Mark McCaul on Friday afternoon.

Handed her mail, she pulled aside a SaskEnergy letter and said with faux anger, “I don’t want this mail!”

Flashing the senior a knowing smile, McCaul responded, “Sorry -- everyone’s receiving those today!” and then carried on his way, leaving the bill recipient with a healthy laugh.

“If you don’t love what you’re doing, you shouldn’t be doing it,” McCaul later said.

The personal touch of mail delivery is important in today’s technological age, Grand Trunk Developments Ltd. owner Doug Patrick said.
What’s more touching; e-mail money transfer from your parents for your birthday, or a card with a cheque in it?

But, he notes, change needs to take place within Canada Post, and the “I generation” mentality of giving people whatever they want at whatever price they want to pay has to end.

“Really, the cost of trying to provide that is the fastest way to get to the bottom when it comes to providing a service,” he concluded.
Patrick joined about a dozen other community leaders on Friday for a brainstorming and public consultation process with Canada Post senior vice president of delivery and customer experience Doug Jones.

Spurred by growing financial problems, Jones is joining other Canada Post employees in canvassing the nation in order to figure out the best course of action to help prevent an anticipated annual deficit of $1 billion by 2020.

It all comes down to the fact that people aren’t using Canada Post as much as they once did, Jones summarized.

Between the 1950s and about 2005, things were going well, he said, noting the introduction of credit card bills, bank statements, cable television bills and other such mail outs.

Although technology chipped away at mail volume, the “paperless office” promised since the personal computer became popular in the 1980s never happened.

The iPad, first released in 2010, represented the biggest drop in mail volume for Canada Post, Jones said.

“That was the game changer, because even before then, you would never go to Cuba or Arizona and open up your laptop on a beach and read a book … but it’s not uncommon today.”

Between 2006 and 2012, Canada Post saw a decline of one billion pieces of mail – “and that’s not slowing down,” Jones said.

During the first quarter of 2013, Canada Post processed 134 million fewer pieces of mail than during that same time period in 2012.
You’ve got this split, where today one-third of the addresses in Canada -- or five million addresses -- get door-to-door delivery ... The remaining 10 million get delivery by community mailboxes or pick up at the post office. - Canada Post senior vice president of delivery and customer experience Doug Jones

This drop in volume, which is leading to the anticipated $1 billion annual deficit by 2020, must be mitigated, Jones said, with the government clear that a taxpayer bailout is not an option.

The Conference Board of Canada has provided Canada Post with a handful of options they’re currently bouncing against the public to see what sticks.

Doing away with door-to-door mail delivery is one option, and would help Canada Post save an estimated $564 million by 2020 -- more than half of the projected deficit.

This idea isn’t as drastic as it might sound, Jones said, noting that Canada Post stopped putting door-to-door delivery in new subdivisions in 1984.

“You’ve got this split, where today one-third of the addresses in Canada -- or five million addresses -- get door-to-door delivery,” Jones said. “The remaining 10 million get delivery by community mailboxes or pick up at the post office.”

Adanac Pointe -- a development in southeast Prince Albert that Grand Trunk Developments Ltd. is overseeing -- has community post boxes that citizens use, Patrick said, noting that door-to-door delivery is missed.

“I think as a developer and resident we understand the importance and strength of going door to door,” Patrick said.

Advocating for the continuation of door-to-door delivery, Patrick suggested that mail carriers expand their role into neighbourhood watch, adding a level of security to neighbourhoods.

Other options Canada Post are considering include reducing the frequency of mail delivery, upping the cost of postage, reducing the speed of delivery and trading certain post offices for smaller centres within existing businesses, such as pharmacies.

All of these have pros and cons, Jones noted, with every community coming up with different perspectives.

In Prince Albert, there’s one corporate outlet and four in existing businesses, so this option wouldn’t affect the city.

The option of reducing the frequency and speed of mail delivery was met by some opposition in Prince Albert, Jones said, adding that no matter what, the end result will be a mixed bag.

Only able to meet a handful of people in each community they travel, Jones encourages anyone interested in the future of Canada Post to post a comment on their website, http://www.canadapost.ca." onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, under the “Future of Canada Post” icon.