{"id":49,"date":"2015-04-14T17:28:48","date_gmt":"2015-04-14T17:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/canadapost\/?p=49"},"modified":"2015-05-22T18:10:09","modified_gmt":"2015-05-22T18:10:09","slug":"the-loss-of-personalized-postal-service-in-the-digital-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/canadapost\/?p=49","title":{"rendered":"The loss of personalized postal service in the digital economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The traditional image of letter carriers delivering mail on foot is out of step with the contemporary digital economy. Suppliers today are less dependent on face-to-face interactions than ever before, swapping the personal provision of products and services with online offerings. Within this changing environment came Canada Post\u2019s announcement in December 2013 that it will be progressively phasing out urban door-to-door mail delivery over the next three years.<\/p>\n

Declining human resources<\/p>\n

\"Susan\"

Susan Dixon and sons Matthew Brand (left) and Nathan Brand (right) this past\u00a0October at Parliament. Dixon presented her petition to NDP Postal Critic Alexandre Boulerice. [Photo courtesy of Susan Dixon]<\/p><\/div>The elimination of 6,000 to 8,000 door-door delivery jobs jeopardizes the main thrust of Canada Post. Unlike private companies such as Cisco, which pioneered the replacement of employees with technology, scaling back on human labour at Canada Post may compromise its public duties.<\/p>\n

Cambridge, Ontario resident Susan Dixon is adamant that Canada Post needs to follow through on these duties, especially the Canadian postal service charter\u2019s guarantee to provide convenient access to mail. For Dixon, this strikes a personal chord. The mother of two has a 7-year-old wheelchair-bound son with cerebral palsy, which makes it difficult for her to travel several kilometers to community mailboxes (CMB) that are replacing door-to-door delivery.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow will they monitor people with disabilities? They can\u2019t expect people who can\u2019t walk normally to get the mail. They have not thought this through,\u201d says Dixon.<\/p>\n

Public pushback<\/p>\n

Although the plan has yet to be fully implemented, Canada Post converted around 100,000 addresses<\/a> in 2014 and expects to switch over another 900,000 delivery points this year. Dixon is committed to halting the rapid conversion. Just two days after the move was made public, she began an online petition<\/a> to protest the end of door-to-door delivery. The webpage has over 200,000 signatures supporting Dixon\u2019s cause. Dixon will keep the petition open until Canada Post changes its decision.<\/p>\n

Map of urban areas affected by door-to-door mail termination in 2014<\/h3>\n