Some Campbell River households will retain delivery to their doors as Canada Post has announced that it will not convert those homes awaiting the switch to community mailboxes.
Susan Margles, in a letter to city council, said delivery to the door has been maintained to those homes that were not converted to community boxes in the fall, and that won’t be changing any time soon.
“We have now put all community mailbox installations in your community on hold and will keep delivering mail to the door for those residents until further notice,” Margles wrote.
What’s more is that Canada Post is uninstalling boxes that were earmarked for those homes.
“Canada Post will be removing any CMBs (community mailboxes) that were installed but are not yet in service and will continue to work on sites to ensure that any potential safety concerns are resolved,” Margles said.
That’s despite Canada Post installing those mailboxes after the corporation had announced in October that it was temporarily suspending its plan to eliminate door-to-door delivery.
Canada Post has said that those communities that have already made the switch – including most of Campbell River – will continue to use community mailboxes until the program is reviewed.
Margles’ correspondence to city council came in response to a letter council sent to Canada Post in November urging the corporation to halt mailbox installations to Campbell River households still awaiting the transition to community mailboxes.
It was Coun. Larry Samson who urged council to write the letter.
“It just drives me crazy how they can bring in these policies across the nation and then all of a sudden things change and they’re halfway done doing our community and they don’t know what they’re doing,” he said last month. “I think until such time as the newly elected federal government undertakes its comprehensive review, I’d like to see all future community mailboxes stop.”
Margles responded that Canada Post has done just that.
A letter from Mary Traversy, chief operating officer of Canada Post, confirms that notion in a letter mailed out to affected households.
“We have now put all community mailbox installations in your neighbourhood on hold,” Traversy writes. “This letter is to confirm that we will continue to deliver mail to your door until further notice.”
Meanwhile, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers has said it will be lobbying the federal government to have door-to-door delivery restored for those who have already made the switch.