Canada Post changes to affect Sault Ste. Marie (2 photos)

The loss of urban home mail delivery is one of the biggest changes announced by Canada Post Wednesday that will affect people from coast to coast, including Sault Ste. Marie, as the corporation aims to address a decline in the amount of mail it handles and resulting financial losses.

The across-the-board introduction of community mailboxes (which means many of us, with the exception of apartment dwellers, will have to walk down the street to collect our daily mail) comes as a result of an increase in online communication and an accompanying decline in the amount of regular mail Canada Post processes.

The community mailboxes are already standard in all new subdivisions, but will come as a new inconvenience by those of us accustomed to having our daily mail delivered by hard-working mail carriers.

Beginning March 31, 2014, a roll of stamps will cost 85 cents per stamp, individual stamps costing one dollar each.

The nation-wide community mailbox system (to be established over the next five years), higher postal rates effective March 31, 2014, an increase in the number of franchised post office outlets and a whopping cut of 6,000 to 8,000 jobs over the next five years are the measures being taken to address Canada Post’s losses, which were reported at $109 million for the third quarter of 2013.

Canada Post claims that, despite the cut of 6,000 to 8,000 jobs, it expects approximately 15,000 of its employees will leave the company or retire over the next five years.

Canada Post says if the changes are not brought in, it could lose $1 billion annually by 2020.   

The corporation expects to save $500 million through the community mailboxes, and $700 million to $900 million per year as a result of all of its changes, with a view to achieving financial stability by 2019.

It is not yet known when the first new community mailboxes will be introduced in Sault Ste. Marie, neither how many Sault mail carriers will lose their jobs. 

It is estimated there are approximately 70 mail carriers in the Sault and immediate surrounding area. 

SooToday.com contacted local Canada Post officials Wednesday, who in turn referred us to a Canada Post spokesperson in Mississauga.

That person was not available for comment, but we were awaiting word from another Canada Post media relations source Wednesday afternoon.

SooToday.com will have more information as to how these changes will affect our community as it becomes available. 

To read a statement issued today by Canada Post, please click here