As announced today by Dartmouth MP Robert Chisholm, the NDP are promising to bring back door-to-door home mail delivery if elected this fall.
“I’m proud today to tell my constituents that an NDP government would reverse this terrible decision and restore home mail delivery to those from whom it’s been taken,” Chisholm declared to the House of Commons.
Home delivery in Canada is expected to end by 2018, as Canada Post continues switching addresses over to community mailboxes in an effort to reduce costs. Once complete, Canada will become the only G8 country in the world without door-to-door mail service.
Over 10,000 addresses in HRM have already converted to community mailboxes. Another 35,000 are set to switch over throughout the next few years.
Chisholm said installation is soon to begin on community mailboxes in his Dartmouth riding, “in spite of serious objections from residents.”
Aside from residential customers, about 200 small businesses, 30 churches, public schools and community centres are set to switch over to the community mailboxes. A full list of the businesses affected is embedded below.
The NDP’s new plan would, presumably, involve reversing Canada Post’s corporate direction and removing the community mailboxes already installed around Canada.
It’s no idle threat, as a new poll today puts the NDP neck-and-neck with the Conservatives and Liberals for Canada’s next government. The preliminary results from polling firm EKOS (using half the sample size as their other recent polls) suggest the NDP win in Alberta has given a boost to their federal cousins.
The federal election, in which Robert Chisholm will battle to retain his seat against Halifax councillor Darren Fisher (for the Liberals) and urban planner Brynn Nheiley (for the Green Party) will take place this fall.
