Municipalities Resist Canada Post's Cuts

OTTAWA, April 23, 2014 /CNW/ - In the wake of drastic cuts announced by Canada Post and backed by the federal Conservatives last December, a number of city and town councils began to formally oppose the plan to eliminate door-to-door delivery. That number is now on par with the number of communities Canada Post claims it consulted with.

"Forty-six (46) municipalities, including some of Canada's biggest cities, have now passed resolutions in support of door-to-door delivery and the number keeps growing," said Denis Lemelin, National President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

"These cuts would hurt communities. They would make the cost of doing municipal business more expensive, download the costs of maintaining so-called community mailboxes onto towns and cities, and cut off seniors and people with disabilities in our neighbourhoods," said Lemelin.

Canada Post's published 5-Point Action Plan claims it consulted people in 46 communities across the country but CUPW pointed out in December that these consultations were invite-only. More public consultation was done via an online and mail survey but CUPW's analysis of those results shows little to no support for cuts.

"Do you know anybody Canada Post actually consulted with? I don't," said Lemelin. "What we've heard since the cutback announcement tells us that Canada Post has some real work to do in terms of meaningful public consultation."

The municipalities are:

Victoria, BC Medicine Hat, AB Vancouver, BC Sannich, BC Sault Ste Marie, ON Kirkland Lake, ON New Westminster, BC Montreal, QC Charlottetown, PEI Fort Erie, ON

Georgina, ON Windsor, ON Toronto, ON   Brantford, ON Antigonish, NS Castlegar, BC Burnaby, BC Winnipeg, MB Hamilton, ON Dieppe, NB

La Sarre, QC Notre-Dame-des-Prairies, QC Baie-Comeau, QC Truro, NS Fort St. John, BC Nelson, BC Kenora, ON Mascouche, QC Repentigny, QC Saint-Valérien de Milton, QC Boucherville, QC St. John's, NL

Timmins, ON Miramichi, NB Brandon, MB Smithers, BC Thompson, MB Brampton, ON Temiskaming Shores, ON Bathurst, NB West Vancouver, BC Huron Shores, ON London, ON Rosemère, QC Joliette, QC North Vancouver, BC

In addition to the municipalities, 5 municipal bodies or organizations also passed resolutions:

Union des municipalités du Quebec
Federation of Canadian Municipalities Big Mayors Caucus
MRC D'Abitibi-Quest
MRC des Maskoutains
MRC de Thérèse-De Blainville

SOURCE: Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Aalya Ahmad, CUPW Communications, at 613-327-1177 or [email protected].