Canada Post is officially moving forward with its multi-year transformation meant to “restore and renew the country’s postal service,” which includes ending door-to-door mail delivery and shifting toward community mailboxes.
With over 40,000 addresses being impacted by the switch, here’s what you need to know about Canada Post’s sweeping changes.
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Changes To Canada Post
In a news release, Canada post said, “The Corporation has reached a turning point and is taking action to ensure it can meet the evolving needs of Canadians in a financially sustainable way.”
“Following initial meetings with its bargaining agents, the Corporation is starting preliminary work on two core initiatives: converting the remaining addresses that receive door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes and modernizing its retail network.”
The changes are meant to strengthen the postal service, allowing it to be a “better partner” for businesses and enable national commerce. Moreover, it’s to help “meet its dual mandate of delivering for all Canadians without being a recurring burden on taxpayers.”
From Door-To-Door to Community Mailboxes
Reportedly, almost three out of every four Canadian addresses are already getting their mail and parcels through centralized delivery. That means there are around four million addresses that are still receiving door-to-door mail, which will be now converted to community mailboxes. The conversion program is expected to take about five years.
The conversions will start in late 2026 and early 2027. Notably, this initial phase includes 13 communities that contain approximately 136,000 addresses. In B.C., the communities are:
- Abbotsford, B.C. (11,000 addresses)
- Mission, B.C. (6,000 addresses)
- City of North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver and West Vancouver, B.C. (23,000 addresses)
The news release notes that these are all approximate numbers. Regardless, converting an address from door-to-door delivery to a community mailbox usually takes months to do. Canada Post intends to “engage with communities as it identifies suitable locations for community mailbox sites.”
“Most of the addresses selected for this phase of conversion are adjacent to areas that already receive delivery to community mailboxes. Canada Post understands converting dense urban core areas poses additional challenges. These areas will be addressed in later stages of the multi-year conversion program.”
