Councillors push to shut down Canada Post fentanyl deliveries

The following resolution, related to Sault Ste. Marie's opioid crisis, has been placed on the agenda on Monday's City Council meeting by Ward 2 Couns. Luke Dufour and Lisa Vezeau-Allen.

Monday's City Council meeting will be livestreamed by SooToday starting at 4:30 p.m.

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Amendment to Canada Post Corporation Act

Mover: Councillor L. Dufour
Seconder: Councillor L. Vezeau-Allen

Whereas the opioid crisis has affected the entire country including our own community and region; and

Whereas it has been established that drugs including fentanyl are being purchased online in both small and large quantities and shipped from countries such as China into Canada by way of Canada Post; and

Whereas the Canada Post Corporation Act, 1981 has provisions that make it more difficult for police officers to seize such packages or intervene in the delivery of such packages than those delivered by another delivery service or a private sector courier; and

Whereas law enforcement supports the amendment of the Canada Post Corporation Act, 1981 in order that they are better able to either stop, intervene in or seize the shipment and delivery of illegal drugs through Canada Post more effectively and in the same manner as they could if the material were shipped by way of any other competing delivery services; and

Whereas from the Algoma Community Health Profile published by Algoma Public Health in September of 2018, it stated that there were 15 deaths due to opioid overdoses in Algoma in 2016, and the rate of hospitalization due to opioid toxicity were 45.7 per 100,000 people in Algoma in 2017, compared to 14.6 per 100,000 in Ontario,

Now therefore be it resolved that Sault Ste. Marie City Council hereby supports the amendment of the Canada Post Corporation Act, 1981, in order that law enforcement is better able to stop, intervene in or seize the shipment and delivery of illegal drugs through Canada and directs Mayor Provenzano to provide this resolution to Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan, the minister of public service and procurement and accessibility and the prime minister.

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