I’m a letter carrier and I love my job, but I hated today. Today was not only the first day of icy sidewalks to navigate, it was also the day that Canada Post announced that you would lose the service of getting your mail delivered to your door and that my job of delivering it will be a thing of the past. Canada Post employees found out about this not through a corporate bulletin, not from a staff meeting, but through a press release. I personally found out about this when a friend said “You looking for a new job yet?”
Today broke my heart. I have always wanted to be a letter carrier, but since I became one, I haven’t always been called that. I’ve been referred to as a “physical email mover,” a “femailman” (not sure how that makes sense, guy on Brunswick, but thanks for trying) and my favourite, a “lovely letter lady.” However, my current official title is “delivery agent.” (It sounds more glamourous than it is.) What it means is that they don’t want to associate letter carriers with the actual carrying of letters anymore. And it’s true, delivering your mail is not all that we do: we also deliver your parcels, clear retail postal outlets and street letter boxes and perform business pickups.
But we. Are. Busy. We are not an obsolete company and we are not a burden on the taxpayer. We are funded 100 percent on our own revenues, not your tax dollars. We have made a large (like hundreds of millions of dollars large) profit in 17 of the last 18 years, and even last year, our first year in the red, 7,402 performance bonuses were still paid out, so we can’t be doing too badly. Our job has changed with the times and will continue to change with the times but we will still not be obsolete. The service we provide is essential and not only would stopping door-to-door service be unnecessary, it would also drastically damage it.
But it hasn’t come to that yet. And because it hasn’t happened yet, we can only do our best to see that it won’t.
I am not stuck in an adverse mindset of “I hate change!” nor am I just trying to protect my job. I’m trying to maintain a life where you can rely on public services. Where people aren’t sold out for profit. Where you can look the person responsible for your presents, passports and paycheques in the eye and say, “Hey Melanie, how are ya?”
There is more to my job than sliding flyers through a slot. My job is to deliver you a better world. As young, hip and accessible as we believe ourselves to be, our aging population’s old hips have made the world inaccessible. Although small businesses and the physically disabled need us just as much, our seniors rely more on daily delivery service than any other Canadian demographic, and they are the majority. They rely on us not only to deliver their mail, they rely on us for guaranteed human contact once a day. Do not underestimate that.
“Get the ‘net!” you say? Oh, stop it with your luxury talk, it’s not that simple. Many can’t afford the internet and others would be overwhelmed by its complexities. (I once tried to explain ‘internet’ to my step-grandfather and it was ridiculous.) Combine limited income with limited mobility and the idea of cutting door-to-door service is reprehensible.
Moreover, the internet has systematically phased out human contact, and through it, a human connection. In exchange for profit and speed, we are losing the ability to make someone feel special. This world does not need more ways to make people feel isolated. While technology has vastly improved our lives in some ways, it has taken the humanity out of being a human.
Writing a letter that is delivered to your grandmother’s door is not going to change any of that, but I guarantee you, it will make her motherlovin’ day. And if you write “Hey mailman! How you doin?” on the envelope you’ll make his day. And if you smile at the clerks who sell you stamps, you’ll make their day.
A letter might be a small thing to you, but in a world of big things and big changes, it’s the little things that are going to matter most. And if we lose that, we will never get it back. Save the mail. Write a letter.
Melanie Mackenzie watches birds and delivers your love letters and makes beautiful music when she can. She reminds readers that on these short winter days her eight-hour shift extends into nighttime, so please salt your sidewalks and leave your porch lights on.
This article appears in Dec 19-25, 2013.
I wish all mail carriers were like Melanie. The point she makes is valid. The aged are the ones who will be the greatest affected by this policy. Try telling an 80 year old with a hip replacement to walk the 8 blocks in snow, wind, or rain to get their mail. Some elderly have no one else to do this for them. For the head of Canada Post to state that getting the elderly walking is good for their health has got to be the most foolish justification for doing away with personal delivery.
Canada Post is a basic service to continue for Canadians.
You should mention all those bonuses went to Management …
Thank You Melanie, for your understanding about what it is like to be a senior citizen in Canada. We need to protect this profitable Public Service for ALL Canadians, and I have faith that CUPW is the Union to do it.
While I agree that it will be a huge loss in decent jobs, I feel that that it makes sense to move to community boxes for the simple fact it will save money. That the majority of Canadians already get their mail like this.
Unfortunately we have a Harper government…. Canada post was never intended to make a profit, its a service… its like asking Police, Firefighters, military personnel to turn a profit. Its all about Corporate Canada when it comes to Harper.
I dont want to see any services become privatized, but if they could they would get rid of all our services and give it to the private sector to rip us off. I heard that one of the executives makes 500,000$ a year? What the hell do we need executives like that in Canada post? Seniors whispered to him that they need the excercise? He should be fired.
I agree canada post needs to slash labour, get with the 21st century and make shipping affordable for Canadians and small Canadian businesses. If I could send parcels for the price they do in the USA my sales would increase enough to support hiring a few people. It creates jobs. Multiply that by thousands of small business and we end up with more, possibly better paying jobs. Most seniors who are unable to walk to a community box should have some sort of help at their house. Wether it is famiky stopping by to do light cleaning or hired help. They can walk to the community box for them. Get rid of he union mentality. If a job is obsolete due to cost and efficiency it is gone. Do we see people fighting to have elevator attendants jobs protected!? No! We can push our own floor buttons. Thanks.
Thanks, Melanie. Many well-made points here. I was especially struck by your assertion that Canada Post has made money in 17 of the last 18 years. That is certainly not what is generally being described in the media. But, all the same, I do agree that public services don’t need to make money if they are providing value -as Canada Post does.
The most upsetting notion is that because most of Canada is on superboxes, the rest should be too. I grew up in St Margaret’s Bay, and we had a superbox and that worked fine. Why? Because in the country YOU DRIVE EVERYWHERE! It’s a 100% completely different situation. Seniors have that in-and-out traffic in a rural area -They need to be set up to deal with rural or suburban life. In the city, people just aren’t situated that way. In any case, all the arguments amount to a justification to weaken the public service. It’s the madness of capitalism combined with right-wing ideology.
So, now what?
The USPS is not the same kind of beast as the Canada Post. There are many differences in the way it is run such as Congressional oversight, while Canada Post is an independent corporations that pays dividends to the government. Canada Post has posted profits for all but the most recent years, while the USPS has lost billions (that’s right, billions) of dollars. So I don’t think their model is one to envy. Homecare for seniors is not free for everyone. I have spoken to many people and this is a major concern for the elderly. Back in the day it was often the mailman or the milkman who would notice if something was amiss at an elderly person’s home and they would be the one to call the police to come check. If you argue it should be the families of the elderly looking after them, what about those whose family lives on the other side of the country or are a widow or widower, or who never married? While it isn’t the job of Canada Post to look after the elderly, it is society’s and as society has moved on to be more and more self-centred these are the people who are marginalized and left behind. Comparing letter carriers to elevator operators is a hyperbolic argument. If that is your belief feel free to start going and driving all your letters and packages across the country, driving to the bank and utilities to pick up your bills, constantly call all your friends to see if there is a wedding to attend and if you are invited. Be modern, be independent, push your own damn buttons.
Sorry to break the news people, but I don’t know why everyone has gotten it into their heads that CP should even be a profitable business, even though it made lots of money up until Chopra’s disastrous and idiotic leadership- can you say accountant that knew nothing about the business?. It’s service, just like transit is, so trying to make it into some kind of Google thing is absurd. Once you put a road down, you don;t expect it to make money, do you? It’s exactly the saem- the road is a service, a service to the tax paying public, just like CP is. The right wing has tried to change how we view these things, demonizing anything that doesn;t show a profit. hell, they want to privatize indutries such as the LCBO, even though it makes something like a billion dollars a year for the Ontario government. But what they actually want is to put those profits into the hands of big named businessmen. Talk about trying to obfuscate things in thier favour!
This is hilarious to me. Saying Canada post has made money 17 of the 18 past years is irrelevant. It’s easy to make money when you charge uncompetitive prices and provide outdated archaic services.As well as have a monopoly. It’s just like the Nslc in Nova Scotia. But we make money they say! But at what cost? I could buy 3 cases of beer in other areas for what I pay at the Nslc. But I have no choice. The service should be privatized abd have competition injected.
@ Michael Murphy – you are absolutely correct about social referencing. The only reason they can get away with it is because they have a monopoly. If any sort of competition was injectedheir business would crumble. So I guess the high prices are a result of the monopoly after all. With reference to Canada post it is absolutely criminal to make people go to work and take the fruits of their labour so an outdated and antiquated system can function. In fact this is the essence of slavery. Some people workingfor the profit of others. Canada post needs to change with the times and unfortunately for some technology has made the service far less useful than in past.
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/views-expr…
And I too think you will see the benefit and cost savings when tax parts are no lo.get on the hook for the 6.5 billion in unfunded liabilities. It is an ideological idea for sure. In fact it seems to me to be the “something for nothing” people vs the “we live in reality” people. We cannot, as a society, continue to waste precious resources on moral grounds. Oh but the seniors you cry or the letter carriers what about them?. What I’m truly concerned about is the contnued high standard of living for all Canadians. This high standard will not be present if we don’t make hard decisions and do what is necessary.
Excus my typo – tax payers are no longer on the hook.
Canada Post should not be privatized, nor should competitive companies be brought into play to take away from the admirable services that our posties give us. Think of the tradition of the postal service. For years they have delivered letters, parcels all the advertizing that the corporations want to drop at our door step. They are people that families, seniors, disabled rely on and in truth are people that we all get to know. There will be many people that will not be able to be paperless and many corporations and businesses too. They are even on our Christmas lists.
So this is the sense of community that we wish to rid ourselves of as a government? Shame on you Mr. Harper! You do not do Canadians proud! It is actually embarrassing. If the government wants to divest itself of some of its government offices, I would suggest some of the layers at the top that command the top wages, benefits and dividends. (by the way, these folks are generally excluded and are not working at a wage that provides just quality of life and a liveable wage, but one heck of a lot more). I would also turn my eye to the defence department, which seems to be turning its eye to more military upgrades which are far to costly than maintaining a human based postal service
“We are funded 100 percent on our own revenues, not your tax dollars.”
Which is great…until they’re not anymore. I haven’t looked at CP’s books, but I can’t imagine that they have enough in reserve to go too many quarters with $129m losses before they are funded by our tax dollars.
Dear John Dunn,
I would like to point out the purchasing of alcohol is not a social service. It is not even a basic food need. It is a luxury item. Privatize it so I can buy cheaper beer and the province loses the revenue from the profits from the sale of said beer. What do they do to recoup these loses? Maybe cuts to services like provincial health care, or maybe hike the provincial tax on alcohol to make up the difference? So where is the savings to the consumer and citizens as a whole? Just so people can buy more beer to get drunk?
A high standard of living is not measured by how cheap products are and how much people can consume. If you look at Scandinavian countries which are the gold standard when it comes to standard of living on every index available, they have high taxes, the costs of consumer goods are very high (especially luxury items; I visited Norway a couple years ago. It cost the equivalent of $12 for a beer at the bar), and they have superb social services and a much narrower income divide between the rich and the poor. Gas is extremely expensive there and many people take public transit versus owning a car. They have great public transit because they can charge the taxes to maintain and expand these systems. There are less grotesquely rich people in these countries but guess what, there are practically no abjectly poor people either. It is what is called a social democracy where the government levies taxes so it may provide services that ensure all its citizens are taken care of. People pay a progressive tax based on what they earn so as to help maintain this high standard of living for everyone. It is called a social contract.
Now you seem to like the idea that development is measured in economic growth and that these profits will trickle down to those in need but it is proven that a rising tide does not lift all boats, just the yachts of the rich while the poor and the elderly are buried up to their necks in the sand and the tide is coming in quickly. I am a Canadian citizen and I believe in the welfare state. By that, I mean the state’s primary concern should be ensuring the welfare of its citizens.
(fun fact, Benjamin Franklin who is known as helping establish the USPS in 1775, was actually the joint deputy postmaster general for British North America in 1753 and established the first Canadian post office in Halifax… the more you know…..)
Your belief in the welfare state is exactly what will destroy this society. What you actually represent is the use of force and the destr of liberties. Lets look at Europe and see what the welfare state has gotten them? Hmmm Spain 50% youth unemployment Italy 40% youth unemployment. I could go on. The welfare state doesn’t work because eventually, as the old saying goes, you run out of other people’s money. As for scandanavia, try keeping the fruits of your own labour there and see how good things are. You can write about it she. Your in jail. The hall.ark of a free society is the rejection of the use of force. You advocate of the unrestricted use of it. Your position is immoral.
Please wxcus my typos I’m on my phone and auto correct is killing me 😉
2012 Canada Post Annual Report
” The Canada Post segment profit was created by non-recurring, non-cash adjustments worth roughly $152 million.
The non-cash adjustments are largely due to reductions in sick leave and post-retirement health benefits in the new collective agreements signed with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers on December 21, 2012.
In a year marked by a historic decline in Lettermail volumes, the Group of Companies would have had a loss of $25 million and the Canada Post segment would have had a loss of $54 million if not for these non-cash, non-recurring adjustments.
The Group of Companies reported a loss in 2011, essentially due to the performance of the Canada Post segment. The Group expects to incur a substantial loss again in 2013. In fact, an accounting profit alone is not a sign that Canada Post can afford to conduct business as usual. “
http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/assets/pdf…
Seniors are not housebound, they go out to purchase goods and attend events, medical appointments etc. They can arrange for direct deposit of OAS,CPP and pensions as well as direct payment of bills. If they prefer paper bank account statements it will cost them $2.30 a month.
Very few seniors will be affected and for those who are alternative arrangements are simple.
For example, the federal government could provide a 12 month supply of vouchers for CPP and OAS and each month the vouchers would be cashed at a bank during the 7 days prior to the end of the month.
As for provincial revenues. The money shouldn’t be replaced!!! That is the whole point! In 2008 the population of NS was about the same as it is now get the provincial budget was 2.5 less! How does this make any sense that is money that is being sucked up from the private economy. Money that could be used to supply what people demand ie. Create jobs. That is what you don’t get. And it’s what is destroying this economy.
That is 2.5 billion less
John Dunn, please go on about Europe. You pick one extreme example of a country whose system is completely different from Those of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. You picked an EU country to compare to non-EU countries. Are you going to choose Greece next? or maybe Germany, no wait they are doing too well economically… France? Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands? I am not sure what you mean by my statements validating unlimited use of force? Maybe it got lost in the autocorrect. I personally feel that an individual has more freedom to succeed in this world if they don’t have to spend their time just trying to find shelter for the evening or a meal. You know, basic needs. This frees them to actually live up to their potential. It’s the well to do middle class that sit around talking about liberty is freedom from the state, Adam Smith, John Locke, invisible hand of the market, and other things they learned in Economics 101, but it was actually the Keynesian economics which ruled during the most prosperous era of the 20th century, 1940-1970, and the purpose of welfare economics is to mitigate the negative effects of capitalist growth. It does not discount capitalism, it helps regulate the system so as to prevent conflicts between classes. In the neo-liberal model which seems to be every rich persons’ favourite since Reagan the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. If you think that is fine and don’t mind your fellow citizens suffering so others can afford greater luxury, I’d say you are the immoral one.
Keynesian economics! I think it’s you sir that needs to be educated not I. What we are currently watching now is the death of keyensian economics. Just as when kenyensianiasm last ruled in the states stagflation is once again running rampant. Because of keyesianism we now have huge debts that can never be repaid. It could eventually spell the end of the economic system as we know it. It is time to finally rid the world of keyens and embrace the teaching of von Hayek and Friedman.
P.s. ad homenim attacks aren’t becomming
Pfft, Friedman. The Chicago school of economics and neo-liberal school of thought is based on assumptions that are ridiculous: mainly that people are rational and have freedom of choice and are completely hinged on a perfectly free market which no matter what is impossible. So the foundation principles of that school of thought can never be realized and are fundamental for that system to function. If the market was truly free and perfect there would be no state intervention or regulation of the market. That would mean that in the 2008 meltdown all the major motor companies would have failed along with all those major financial institutions that the government bailed out (state intervention) and it was due to a lack of state regulation that he situation occurred in the first place. So in this great neo-liberal model we’d all live in a collapsed economy and instead of trying to fight to help maintain services that help our neighbours we’d probably be eating their pets. Instead of continuing in the economic system that only works if there is unlimited economic growth into infinity which seems unlikely maybe we should be working towards a different economic system. But that isn’t the purpose of this article, its purpose is to highlight the importance of maintaining a public service that is important to many people who are in a different situation than those who are able bodied, young, affluent. It may not be a service you require, but I don’t use a lot of public services, like free clinics, food banks, homeless shelters, or social assistance, but I think those that really do need them should have them available to them. What this article is about is stopping our self-centred view of the world and look outwards to the needs of others and stop asking the question what do I need and start asking what are the needs of others?
All those services you mention do nothing to help poor people they simply institutionalize poverty and keep them poor. I dont have the time to go into 2008 in detail but know that socializing private loses is the worst possible things a government can do as it removes the element of risk from building a business. It basically gives the business man carte Blanche to do what ever he want without thought to the consequences. Free market capilatism means private profits and private losses. Not private profits and socialized losses.
That is true. But true free market capitalism can never be truly realized as the assumptions it is based on are false so as a theory it may work but as a reality it can never truly exist. It is a utopic ideal just like true communism. The thing that messes it all up is the involvement of actual people. What is referred to as free trade nowadays is the breaking down of trade barriers in the global south so as to open their markets to the global north. A lot of this is done through conditionalities placed on receiving aid from multilateral organizations like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. What broke the stagflation of the 1970s was the internationalization of labour through the breaking down of these trade barriers. Production was moved to the global south so production costs dropped and corporations could then start realizing profits again. What did this in turn do, caused a great reduction in the production capabilities of the global north and an outsourcing of skilled labour to cheaper markets. Some would then argue that jobs were being produced in developing countries, but they were paid at such a low wage that they could not buy local consumer products so that did not help the local economies, profits made by the corporate operations in the south did not remain within those countries as they were repatriated to corporate headquarters in the north, the developing countries were instructed by WB and IMF to keep corporate taxes and minimum wages incredibly low to encourage corporations to set up shop there so no benefit came in that form. Tariffs on imported goods were removed so countries could not protect their own industries from having the markets flooded with consumer products from the north and tariffs were removed so the raw materials could be exported to the north. Sounds like a great economic system you want to keep.
Free market capitalism has done more to alleviate poverty than any other system in the history of the world. Period. China has just raised 700 million people out of abject poverty by embracing the free market. Chillie has done the same with liberalization. So has Brazil.
Melanie is the most amazing mail delivery person! It was a sad day when she left our route on Gottingen Street. She did more public relations for Canada Post then their entire corporate communication machine could even hope to accomplish in a year.
Interesting article. Compassionate, from the heart, and intelligent.
That being said, Canada Post is faced with a big problem. Reduced business and rising costs. Having historically turned a profit 17 of the 18 years, with the imminent risk of requiring financial support from the government to cover a decline in service and massive pension gap, Cananda Post really has no choice but to take the route towards automation, reduced labour force, and scaled back services.
Taxpayers hate paying for things in general, let alone a service that has been historically profitable facing tough times in a digital era.
So despite the wonderful human interaction some people received, and the sense of community letter carriers created in some neighbourhoods, Canada Post is making the most economical decision they can, given the options available.
canada post has employee wage issues the union has forced big wages on low skill jobs…..an entry level mail sorter makes as much as a seasoned joiner…….
First of all there are words being twisted and erroneous facts being thrown all over the place here. USPS loses money hand over fist but provides one hell of a good service to small business that adds to economic growth at a grassroots level. Have you looked at Canada’s numbers in that regard lately? Also, in big cities that have recent development the metro areas are on super boxes. Edmonton for example. I lived right near south Edmonton common and all of the neighbourhood were on boxes. You walked across the street to get your mail. Flyers were annoyingly dropped at your door. So, no. Boxes work fine in cities.
I know home care is not free. I’m not an idiot. I also know some people don’t have families. But be serious. If you can’t get your mail you are not well enough to take care of yourself 24/7 on your own. Either you find a way to get some sort of help or you go in a home for government subsidy/support for your care. That is another sucky area of our system but it is there. There is someone to get their mail and if there isn’t and hey can’t get it, then there is a bigger danger issue at play than mail.
Why is it that the first thing Canada Post wants to do is to start the cuts at the bottom and with the public when the real problems begin at the top. Why is it ok that we as Canadians are ok with rediculouse wages and bonuses being paid to C.E.O.’s and polititions? Why is it that we just laydown and “accept” things like the Senete scandal, the mess with B.C. Ferries. Why is it that as long as we are told by the government that they are “looking into it” or “we are putting together an advisory committe” and we just act like that will make everything ok and move on. Why is it we would rather watch our middle class people loose their jobs but let the fat cats keep theirs? And why is it that if changes dont affect us directly, we cant for one minute put our selves in the shoes of someone it does? If Canada Post wants to follow suit with so so many other companys and cut wages, jobs, services ect. who will be left to shop at our local grocery stores, buy houses, cars, ect, or have the ability to raise their family in any community. The only thing growing will be the U.I. and Welfare lines. Moves like this cause a ripple affect through out the country. And wheather you think so or not you will be affected and it wont be for the better.
I like Canada Post and they deliver the online purchases that I make, and the ones made in my shop. I like sending postcards to my mother from every city I visit. And it would be terrible if Canada destroyed the infrastructure that allowed for physical mail. Something tells me that they would regret it, like the cities that pulled out their electric streetcars just before the 1973 Oil Crisis.
I’m going to be pissed if I walk to a mailbox and you guys still stuff it with shit I don’t want. Will I be allowed to take the “no flyers” sign off my mailbox and put it on the new one? I’m not saying you should litter, but go ahead and make yourself a nice paper hat, use it for house training a puppy, make a creative prison shank out of it for fun, etc.
Is anyone doing a letter writing campaign to the execs at Canada post? I think people should start doing that, writing letters to them in bulk, so they get big santa mail sized bags full. The envelopes could have supportive messages written on the outsides so the mail carriers could see them and see that the public doesn’t support the move to end door to door service. The irony of them getting all those letters delivered would be priceless.
I’ve suggested to friends that they write either “Save the Mail” and a friend Allison wrote “MAIL MATTERS” on her xmas cards, that helps lift spirits within the post office, however if you’d like to join a letter writing campaign, I suggest starting with the Transport Minister Lisa Rait..
307 Confederation Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
or try her home office!
86 Main Street
Milton, Ontario
L9T 1N3
as for a coast to coast campaign, lets start one, shall we?!
You rock sister Melanie.
People don’t realize how many seniors meet you at the door to collect their mail. They do that for me and I’m not anywhere near as cute as you. They won’t be out there waiting for the truck at the community mail box in their parkas with a smile. But it’s not just seniors; it’s underprivileged wondering why their cheque didn’t arrive (because they can barely write their name) it’s getting a parcel with no last names to the correct people because their granndkids or somebody addressed it (how many letters have I gotten to gumpie and nanny, no last names, or it’s being sent from someone in jail (these letters break my heart every time I see the childlike scrawl- sorry folks, there’s no email in jail) Computers can’t sort this stuff, and community mail boxes don’t have faces to attach to the names. Remember that the rural mailboxes replaced by the Community boxes were at the end of driveways, but in a small town you still knew your carrier-driver.
Thanks for writing this during the busiest time of the year. Merry christmas and solstice I’m celebrating the turn of light more than ever as a carrier) and be safe out there.
Canada Post just wants to make a bigger profit. They should cut out the fat from the top not the bottom. Home delivery is essential to so many. Those who cannot go out to get their mail. Those who have no one else to get it for them. Cut out the big bonuses for the big fat cats at the top and work their way down and leave the little, hard-working people out there working and delivering and doing what they do best – making the fat cats look good. DO NOT STOP HOME DELIVERY. I have a small home based business and I depend on Canada Post to get my business materials. Sometimes it is way too much for me to go and get it myself. PLEASE don’t let them cut this service.
The average “delivery agent” makes on average $50,000/year with great benefits and pension. CP CEO $500,000. Bonuses for management. Cutting service, really?
There are a lot of concerning things in this article: “our first year in the red, 7,402 performance bonuses were still paid out, so we can’t be doing too badly.” — This speaks to very poorly designed performance bonuses. Workers must be rewarded for ineffective work or the company wouldn’t have been read.
“I’m trying to maintain a life where you can rely on public services.” — Isn’t this the opposite of what we should be working toward as a society? The more we rely on public services, the more of a burden we are, as a society, to the government. I don’t want to eat up tax dollars having someone deliver me mail that could be going into healthcare or education.
“Many can’t afford the internet and others would be overwhelmed by its complexities. (I once tried to explain ‘internet’ to my step-grandfather and it was ridiculous.)” — Are you serious? Everyone has access to the internet. If they can’t afford it at home they can get it at a library. Furthermore, if they can’t afford internet, they probably can’t afford to send snail mail via Canada Post. And if they can’t understand how to use something as universally relevant and user-friendly as the internet, the government needs to fund programs to teach people, not have someone smile at them every now and then.
I know it seems like an easy argument to cite our “aging population” as a reason to keep door to door delivery but I grew up in a rural community that never had door-to-door delivery and had an incredibly old population. It was never the big issue that people are expecting it to be.
This article is sensationalist and tries to pull at heart strings but instead of “smiling at the clerks who sell you stamps [to] make their day” smile at your barista, your grocery clerk, a stranger on the street.
“My job is to deliver you a better world.” — This is not the job of a Canada Post delivery agent. If you want to deliver a better world, try the charitable sector.
Uh, Canada Post’s profits have steadily been shrinking (to the point of last year’s small net loss), and the company has $6.5 BILLION in unfunded pension deficits. (That’s your retirement, Melanie.)
Frankly, as someone who grew up with a community mailbox, I don’t understand the hue and cry over this. The “public service” argument doesn’t wash, as door-to-door delivery isn’t a crucial service (people will still get their mail, and as has been noted, most Canadians don’t have door delivery anyway.)
The argument about seniors is ridiculous. If we do have an epidemic of loneliness plaguing the senior population, ten seconds of daily interaction with a letter carrier isn’t the solution.
Re: disabled people. Providing them with access to postal services will be a challenge to overcome (maybe a special dispensation for continued door delivery), but it’s not insurmountable, and not a reason to continue with the obviously unsustainable status quo.
And, “we are losing the ability to make people feel special?” Look: The letter carrier in my neighbourhood, who squashes and squishes magazine and postcards and “Do Not Bend” packages into impossible contortions, does not make me feel at all special.
Finally, no one is getting fired. The job cuts will be through attrition.
This is a non-issue.
Guess who I see at my community mailbox? My neighbours. We smile and say hello to each other. It’s really very nice.
John Dunn. China has not embraced a free market. Its market is heavily regulated by the state. If it were free market there would be no state run enterprises so that assertion is false. You cite the examples of Chile and Brazil. I find this very amusing as you stated earlier that that my position was immoral because I said rich people should pay more taxes to give the government funds to run social programmes to aid its citizens and somehow you equated this to the states unlimited use of force, but now you embrace to the policies of Chile and Brazil. In the case of Brazil, its shift to neo-liberal economic policy came after the coup by a military junta that disposed the democratically elected left wing president of that country. Funnily enough then US President LBJ sent a wire to the junta thanking them “for restoring democracy” to their country. Now Chile was even worse. Another military coup under Pinochet which pretty much installed an authoritarian police state in which many citizens were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. I would not call any of these examples you cited as being ideal, free societies that benefited from embracing free markets. What has actually helped many of the poor in Brazil are the Bolsa Familia social programmes that have been established recently that give direct conditional cash transfers to poor families, give free schooling to children, and help build their human capital. This was instated in 2006 and currently 26% of the Brazilian population receive these government subsidies. That’s around 12 million families. So no I wouldn’t say it is free markets that help the poor. free markets help the rich and help make the poverty gap grow.
We can excuse your typos, John Dunn, but not your continuing bull-headed insistence on parroting the Tory party line with no supporting evidence that Canada Post or any other public service is destroying the economy.
“Uh, Canada Post’s profits have steadily been shrinking.”
Uh, no they haven’t. The value of their pension fund has been decreasing because it is invested in stock market products whose value declined with the stock market bottoming out around 2008. As far as profits, in 2010 Canada Post recorded a record high profit of $443 million. But in 2011 there were strikes and a lockout, as well as a court case regarding pay equity. Canada Post is regrouping, but overall it has returned a $1.5 billion profit. It is NOT subsidized by taxpayers. At the time of the strike the government regarded Canada Post as an essential service. Suddenly it’s dispensable. You are quite gullible of you believe the tripe coming out of the mouths of Harper apparatchiks. They also told lies about the Employment Insurance program when they were trying to gut it.
Thanks for a refreshing perspective. It is clear that the CONS, after having eviscerated Rail Passenger Services in this Country, are attempting to do the same with the Post Office. It is clear that there is nothing “Conservative” about what the CONS are doing.
For anyone to say that the Post Office is irrelevant because of e-mail shows a dismal understanding of both the issues of both the concept of Post Office and of “Service”. If one were to follow their pseudo-logic, one could argue that we should eliminate hospital since most people are not hospitalized!
This unfortunately is allowed to happen because the peoples allow it to happen. This is a very strange way to “Stand on Guard for Thee”.
You are not losing your job. The Union is losing dues through attrition. You will still have to deliver mail to community boxes and parcels and flyers.
The Chinese are the best capitalists in the world. Though the Chinese don’t yet have their political freedom, it is inevitable that they will.
The attitude that the Harperites tap into reminds me of the Russian parable of the Golden Trout. To paraphrase, a Russian peasant goes to the barn to milk his prized cow and is despondent to find his only livestock dead. The family is desperately poor and to obtain food and a distraction, goes fishing. He is shocked to bring a golden trout up on his hook. The trout says, “Comrade I can grant you any wish you want, but only one!” The peasant considers this, in light of his predicament and implores earnestly,”Yes I have one…I wish that my neighbours cow would die!”
The point is, the Neocons tap into a base instinct of envy. We should attack anything we perceive as providing more, if it is not directly beneficial to us, even if it has utility to someone else. Think Parks Canada, Environment Canada, National Archives of Canada, HRDC, Employment Insurance, Federal defunding of Health Care, cuts in Federal Transfers…the list goes on. But what do I know…I just live in a “Culture of Defeat”.
I’m amazing to me how some of the commenters think it’s acceptable to have possible massive job loss and another example of the erosion of the middle class. I’m also shocked at comments about how it’s “okay” for seniors/disabled to retrieve their own mail and that there’s more problems with them if they can’t (actually, I’m more disgusted than shocked). Apparently this/these commenters have never seen an elderly person struggle walking the sidewalks in winter. I’m in manitoba and it can be a struggle even for the youth. Heaven forbid you ever get old!
And why is it acceptable to the right-wing believers/supporters to always cut at the bottom and fatten the top? I understand you “believe”a CP employee is overpaid (which is a gross overstatement) but what about the execs? The CEO makes $500K BEFORE BONUSES. All the managers and supervisors in Winnipeg, to my knowledge, all made bonuses last year. If CP is losing money, how can bonuses be handed out which seems to be ad nausium?
I too am a “mailma’am” and I can honestly tell you there have been numerous occaisionally where the letter carrier has been the first person of contact in a crisis situation. Furthermore, if you want a good watchdog In your neighbourhood, make friends with your mailman/ma’am. I can assure you we see a lot more than you’d think.
And before you judge, I’m not a union man, I’m not a corporate man…I’m a mailma’am!
Thank you, Melanie, for your articulate, heart-felt letter. It really puts into prospective the job I do is more than just “snail mail” 🙂
Please explain how a short walk to a community mailbox qualifies as exercise? Not enough distance to elevate heart rates, even for seniors. (Check out mp Paul Dewar and Deepak Chopra on youtube… interesting stuff)
It always amazes me how callous people can be about other people losing their jobs. There also seems to be some sort of anger directed towards letter carriers because we’re “unskilled/uneducated”. Like we deserve to be laid off or something. Like our FAMILIES are unimportant! Guess what? We work HARD for a living. I wonder what they’ll say when Harper and his greedy corporate goons come for them next? Will it still be ok as long as it “saves the taxpayers money?”
CUPW’s leadership have been trying to eliminate door to door delivery for decades. They just don’t think they should be expected to relinquish exorbitant entry-level salaries and lavish benefits. The greatest trick big labour ever pulled was convincing gullible progressives that “What’s good for the Union is good for society”
I get delivery MAYBE three days a week, usually less, but on those days, I get a LOT! Makes me wonder about what my ‘hard working’ letter carrier is doing those other days.
Canada post is mostly a carrier for junk flyers; Charge THOSE people more and you might turn things, but I’m fine with a public box, and a trash can for the junk I didn’t ask for, want, and don’t EVER look at that is now resulting in a curtailing of (poor) service.
Too bad, go get a real job.
She’s not losing her job. Door-to-door delivery is being phased out. She will still be walking the streets and taking mail to centralized mail boxes. For those of you who support her and Canada Post, how much mail do you actually post and receive today compared to 10 years ago? 20 years ago? If it’s significantly less you’re part of the reason this is happening. And don’t pretend you didn’t see this coming.
Things are getting bad. Fellow workers fight each other while the rich laugh all the way to the bank. The rich push the narrative of “blame the worker”, sometimes via dog whistle, often via bullhorn, and people fall for it.
It is estimated Canada loses billions each year because of explosion of tax havens.
StatsCan figures show that overseas investment in tax havens is at an all-time high. But in May, Revenue Minister Gail Shea acknowledged that the CRA has not increased capacity to counter aggreessive international tax planning. Last year, almost $200 billion Canadian dollars were diverted to just the top five havens, alone.
The economy tanked and this lunacy was largely fuelled by leveraged money at banks and investment houses that created fictional financial instruments, like derivatives, as they went on such a pathological borrowing spree, while telling us to tighten our belts.
We have built an economy on two related fictions. The first is that boundless growth is sustainable. The second is that unrestrained capitalism, particularly in the financial sector, will create wealth for everyone. These are discredited ideas. The question is how we build a society based on something fairer. Cutting public services and blaming the worker bees isn’t helping.
“What we desire for ourselves we wish for all. To this end may we take our share of the world’s work and the world’s struggles.” – J.S. Woodsworth.
WE signed the death warrant on so-called Public Services the day we allowed them to unionize. Any service that can be hijacked, disrupted or held hostage by a union no longer deserves to be called “Public”, no matter how much the public has to pay for it.
While I do feel bad for people losing good jobs, I can’t support home delivery for a minority of the population alone. Why are 33% entitled to home delivery when the other ⅔ of Canadians are not? We all pay the same postal rates, but yet receive vastly different service. Never was acceptable to me and thus I say good riddance to home delivery!!
Letter carrying is the pubic service that always brings anticipation in waiting for that special letter/package. Its almost nostalgic yet, very much necessary today as the internet cannot fulfill that personal experience like a much awaited delivery. Computers are nice to an extent but, nothing compares with “the human aspect” between a letter carrier and a recipient. Protect that human aspect, and the letter carrier. David Gonzalez, Alvin, Tx.
I loved this article. Thank you. It reminds me so much of something that happened to me on a much smaller scale, but one that I will share if you care to read it:
I am a pianist, and years ago I had a job playing for afternoon tea at a local hotel courtyard. For 2 hours, people young and old got together, chatted, drank tea and ate sandwiches, and occasionally requested a tune. The courtyard was packed. It was a town tradition. And the hotel made money. I knew because my boss often told me.
One day, the boss showed me the hotel’s new purchase: a digital (self-playing) piano. My job had been rendered obsolete as of that day.
By the end of the following year, I heard that the afternoon teas were no more. I doubt it had much to do with me specifically not being there, but I do believe an unmanned piano left it cold and uninspired. They had also cut service staff to a bare minimum.
In my view, whether you are paying for tea or paying for postage, you are buying not simply an item, but rather an opportunity to connect with the people who work and live in your community. It is what keeps us alive as human beings.
I hope Canada Post decides to change their mind.
All my best to you and your colleagues,
Jonathan
Canada Post HAS made profits over the past 17 out of 18 years.
Sure some cost cutting measures are required but when cutting they should start with the over paid, over bloated, ReformACon patronage positions.
Straight forward facts:The only year CP didn’t make a profit was 2011 when it went on strike and was locked out.
Latest budget report shows a profit of over 120 million dollars. http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/aboutus/corporate/annualreport.jsf.
Facts are troubling things for the Harper Government. But they have no trouble ignoring them.
Its about time to lay the dinosaur to rest
why don’t we eliminate the whole canada post organization?
for the 6 letters I send a year, I could use Purolator or whatever courier. International mail could be handed to them.
you people who think Canada will be better off without Canada Post are nothing but short-sighted, shallow internet junkies who do nothing but sit around on the web or on their x-box, ps-4 or wii. Why don’t you step outside, take a breath of fresh air, and remember that there is an actual, real world out there, and postal workers are an important part of it.
I see only higher costs for meat space mail , if Canada post is shut down.
BUT I do see & understand the need to streamline services & the high cost of daily door to door delivery is a easy way to save money. When I first moved out into outer Mongolia …ok I’m not that far in the woods, but my mailbox is quite a way from my home & it is attached to 3 other boxes where a mail delivery vehicle drops everyone in this areas mail.
So as it works quite well out here, I can’t see why it can’t be made to work in an Urban area. Sure there will be some jobs lost, but on the whole the system should be able to be kept running. Change isn’t always bad.
I would like to point out one other point, if they are making cuts, bonuses IMO should be the first cut. Management the 2nd cut & employees 3rd.
They closed the school, but i didn’t care as I didn’t have children.
They reduced the bed count at the local hospital, but i didn’t care because I am young and healthy.
They raised tuition at the local university, but I didn’t care because I all ready graduated.
They reduced OAS benefits, but I didn’t care because that would not impact me for a long long time.
…you see where I’m going here?
i agree with acro. if cuts are being made I want my taxes reduced.
Cant believe how people don’t see what is happening, recently got hired to train for Canada Post but I feel hot n cold, what is going to really happen? why would I want to take a letter carrier position? someone please tell me.
Great article. It’s sad that people are actually urging and cheering for Canadians to have their jobs taken from them when there is no reason to do so. Shame on you. You are not a true Canadian. Just because you don’t USE the service, doesn’t mean it doesn’t make millions of dollars in profit. It doesn’t even touch your tax dollars…..EVER. So continue to NOT use it, but be a true Canadian and fight for the service to continue just to employ our citizens and continue to be utilized by those who DO use it. Stop rallying to have the public services in our country destroyed. Use your brains.
Yeah. I totally agree. Email is good. Email is even great. But email is email. Email is not the mail. I actually went on my own letter-writing campaign — to my mother. I went and bought a fountain pen and cool stationery. I wanted to do it right — like the old days. My hand hurt after page 2, but hell, it was REAL. I wanted my mother to see her son’s handwriting just like in the good old days — the 1960s.
But, she was not impressed. My mother no longer writes any letters. She also wouldn’t know a computer from a frying pan.
But I come from a past when I remember the doctor coming to my house to give us our shots.
I used to talk to my letter carrier — we had a relationship. Now, I have no idea who puts the envelopes in the box.
Too bad.
From Canda Post’s website: “The Canada Post segment reported an operating loss of $269 million for 2013. Transaction Mail volumes fell 5.3 per cent, continuing a decline that began in 2007. The Canada Post Group of Companies reported an operating loss of $193 million.
The operating losses were reduced by gains mostly from the sale of corporate real estate. As a result, the Canada Post segment reported a loss before tax of $125 million. The Group of Companies reported a loss before tax of $58 million.”
I’m in Elliot Lake On
My mail delivery person ( currently it is a lady ) adds to our neighbourhood and in fact helps make our neighbourhood
I’ve never heard a parent tell a child not to talk to the mailman
Some of my neighbours were found in distress by the mailman noticing something ” out of the ordinary ” while delivering. A person who is generally waiting for the mail is not there for unknown reason and the list goes on
Someone with devious intentions is likely to rethink their actions when the postman is around because he or she knows when strangers are about
I could rattle on but I beleive the postal people are very much a part of a safe, comfortable and Canadian lifestyle
About 29 Million people will have to pick up their own mail instead of having 8,000 letter carriers deliver it by foot. Most of these 29 Million will probably drive to pick up their mail and leave their vehicle idle (especially in winter). What is the cost and what is the sense in that? Close Canada Post and let someone willing to do the job properly have that job.
what is amazing about people crying about losing their door delivery is the thoughtless ideas as there are many small towns in Canada where there has never been a door delivery so people get over it and suck it up.
I can’t believe how much dislike people are showing towards postal workers, wow! These bitter people have nothing going on in their lives, that they have to show anger, and bullying attitude. They are not happy unless there is ruin surrounding them, how Canadian of them.
Like most Canadians, postal workers have a family to feed, mortgage/rent, bills, and so on.
Canada post employees are working for their money, (does not come from your taxes) but you’d rather see them jobless, no means of feeding their families or paying bills, some might even have to go on unemployment, or welfare, both are from you hard working tax payers. WOW, such evil, negative people out there, that wish harm and bad things on other Canadians, what’s wrong with you all. I would never wish hard times or struggles on another person.
The corporations and politicians are the real evil in this world. Corporate profits are surging, but expect the worker to live on less and less. Governments are always cutting and slashing and back up the corporations with big tax breaks, but increase ours. Looking g at some of the negative responses on this post about postal workers, makes me realize now how corporations and politicians are getting away with all the bad they do. We are do busy bickering amongst ourselves over everything and cannot stand together to see that it is the governments and corporations that is what’s wrong. Lots of people depend on Canda Post and for people to put down the workers is Shameful!!!!!! With attitudes like this, governments and corporations will always win and keep people down
I have lived in my house in a small city in Alberta for over thirty years and have NEVER had home delivery. It has always been either go to the post office or the community mail box. I have never had a problem with the community boxes. They have NOT been broken into, they are not collectors of trash. They do not have massive problems with traffic. In my neighborhood, we have young elderly and middle aged. Nobody seems to have any problem getting their mail,. I don not know of anybody in my town who is disabled and has problems getting their mail.
The mail carriers want ot keep their jobs and I understand that. However, my tax dollar and everyone on community mailboxes subsidizes your home delivery. It is much more expensive for home delivery then it is for community boxes. Why should I and others using the community mailboxes be subsidizing your delivery?
If the home delivery is reinstated for those getting it now, I WANT IT ALSO. I would be willing to go to court to get the same delivery. Then watch the cost of a stamp go higher.
Canada Post has 18 vice-presidents – what do they do ?
Thanks for your article. I am a letter carrier in the U.S. and the exact same situation is happening here. The USPS is a top heavy organization (more than 12% of USPS jobs are management) that sabotages itself in the hope it will be sold to the lowest bidder and stripped of anything resembling a Public service. Many top brass in the USPS go on to lucrative private sector “careeers” in direct mail industry after fleecing the PO. Also Melanie you are a total babe.
In solidarity,
Thomas
City carrier, Portland, or
Canada Post did post net income in 2014, but this was the first time in many years; most years it loses money (the postie quoting this statistic sounds like the republican candidates quoting that there has been no global warming for the past 18 years – just don’t ask about the last 50 or 100). The unfunded pension fund liability is approaching $7 Billion (thats Billion with a B people). Overall parcel volume is declining and its not rocket science to figure out that this is a trend that will not change. Young people are not using the mail like their older counterparts, so its just a matter of time before Canada Post of out of business. Many people argue that CP should diversify with the Italian Postal Service (which now is in the banking business). Hmmm, our government went 50% over budget rebuilding the Bluenose – I don’t think I want them doing anything more than they really should be involved in. Let the BMO, TD and CIBC shareholders take the risk of competing with Apple and others in the banking space.
To me there are two mail questions:
1. If Canada Post is losing money, how important is it to subsidize when compared to health care, education, etc? Remember government funds 60% of the cost of university education, with most degrees costing $20K a year, with students paying $6K. There are only so many things that taxpayers can subsidize. My money is on basic infrastructure.
2. If we have to cut back at Canada Post, why is no one talking about door to door delivery 2 days a week? I pay 95% of all bills on-line and a huge percentage of what comes to my mailbox is junkmail. Although not confirmed, I have heard that the answer to question #2 is that the unions will agree to two day a week delivery.
Honestly, after my dealings with Canada post in the last few years, I hope the whole works gets cut out of our government. Private carriers are more effective at delivering my parcels both on time and to my door (rather than having me run to the post office during hours most people are actually working and unable to pick things up). I can get about 99.9% of my bills and cheques sent and delivered electronically. I have no use for fliers when a quick google search will tell me whats on sale that week… and I havent had to the door delivery for decades now… so why should I care if I have to stop supporting a dead and useless crown corporation with my hard earned tax bucks? Especially when I do things like pay for expediated parcel service to have said parcel take days on end to move less than 200 km to a processing facility and sit for no better reason than some CUPW workers want to deliberately sabotage Christmas?