Mail delivery changes looming as Canada Post grapples with financial pressure
Whether you check it every day or not, how and when your mail is delivered could be changing as Canada Post faces mounting financial pressure.
"I don't think we need to be getting mail every day," said Shaelah Matechuk.
"I rarely get things that are so urgent that I need them every day, but I know that some people do, like people who still get their cheques and live paycheque to paycheque. It matters if you get it today or tomorrow," said Judith Wouk.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"We as a lot of people are actually going online," said Jeanne Burnham. "And so we don't have very much mail anymore. And that's been Canada Post's problem."
Canada Post lost $748 million in 2023 and it says it could run out of operating funds within a year. Letter mail has drastically declined, with the Crown Corporation delivering 2.2 billion in 2023 compared to 5.5 billion pieces of mail in 2006.
"Rules governing how and when mail is delivered were put in place in 2009, when Netflix was delivering DVDs in the mail," said Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton. "A lot has changed since then. So if we're going to create a new modern approach that meets the needs of Canadians today then we need to make changes and look at everything."
The union representing postal workers says the way out of this is through expanding services, not cuts.
"We have more locations across Canada than Tim Hortons. And in some small and remote areas, the only federal building people see is the Canada Post location," said Jan Simpson, the national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. "So, to offer postal banking at those locations will be great. Also, we want to do some senior check ins… you're able to go talk to the customers and see what's happening there and let their loved ones know that they're okay."
The company has turned to e-commerce and parcels, but it has not been enough.
"The requirements today are that we deliver five days a week. Well, delivery today spreads into the weekend, it goes on evenings," said Hamilton. "So we need to figure out how we can play better in that space because those in the parcel business, and that's where the growth is and that's where we need to chase, we need to be much better in that space. A five-day-a-week delivery model just doesn't fit that anymore."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More Canadians are moving to the U.S. Here's one of the main reasons, according to an immigration expert
Recent data from the U.S. census revealed that more than 126,000 people moved from Canada to the U.S. in 2022. An expert said that one of the main reasons for this move is the cost of living.
Bus carrying Quebec tourists crashes in Cuba, leaving 1 dead and 26 injured
One person is dead and 26 were injured after a bus carrying Quebec tourists was involved in a collision in Cuba on Sunday.
Her gut was producing alcohol. Doctors didn't believe her
For two years doctors told her she was an alcoholic. Then they realized her gut was making alcohol from carbohydrates, a rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome.
'They need this protection': Trudeau gov't re-offers $1.5M for enhanced Pride security in Canada
For the second year, the federal government is offering up to $1.5M to Pride organizations across the country to fund enhanced security measures, amid a continued rise in anti-LGBTQ2S+ hate.
Here's how far B.C. drivers must keep from cyclists, pedestrians under new law
A new law protecting cyclists and pedestrians in British Columbia takes effect Monday, establishing minimum distances that drivers must keep from so-called vulnerable road users.
Prospective jurors in Hunter Biden's firearms case questioned on gun rights, addiction
A federal gun case against U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter opened Monday with jury selection, following the collapse of a plea deal that would have avoided the spectacle of a trial so close the 2024 election.
AFN national chief blasts governments' inaction on fifth anniversary of MMIWG report
On the fifth anniversary of a national inquiry's report into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is blasting all levels of government for what she calls slow progress to stop the crisis.
B.C. school district apologizes for asking students 'Should Israel exist?'
The Burnaby School District superintendent has issued an apology and launched an investigation after a Grade 6/7 class was presented with a question regarding the existence of Israel.
Toyota apologizes for cheating on vehicle testing and halts production of three models
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized Monday for massive cheating on certification tests for seven vehicle models as the automaker suspended production of three of them.