Postal Unions look to communities for support in bid to keep postal services

The Canada Post Office building
in downtown Prince Rupert

The postal unions of Canada Post have started a major push to get communities across Canada involved in efforts to keep Canada Post from moving towards the large community mail boxes as they continue on with their plans to phase out home delivery and close rural post offices across the country.

As part of their preparations for Monday's City Council session, Council members might have had a chance to review a correspondence from the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association, which outlined the concerns they have about the direction that the Postal Service is taking and the measures that the group is taking to try and reverse the Canada Post policy.

The Canada Post moves are described as one of abandoning communities and abolishing decent paying jobs across the country, with the Postmasters calling attention to the financial reports of the Post Office that it suggests are providing for impressive profits.

The full letter to Mayor Brain and Council can be found as part of item three from the Info for Council package from the City website. They group is looking for the support of Town and City Council's across the nation, using a correspondence and resolution from the Town of Marystown, Newfoundland as the main thrust of their current information campaign

It should also be noted that the Association is currently in the midst of negotiations with Canada Post

Skeena-Bulkley Valley NDP MP Nathan Cullen has been working on the door to door home delivery issue for a number of years now, despite those efforts of the NDP however, Canada Post has continued forward with its plans.

A review of developments on the issue to this point can be found below:

March 2014 -- NDP MP seeks public support to stop Canada Post cuts
January 2014 -- Mr. Cullen puts his stamp on the debate to keep Postal Services at current levels
January 2014 -- Postal Cuts protests take shape
May 2013 -- Canada Post seeks financial savings from cuts and streamlining to rural services
December 2013 -- Canada Post has major changes in store for mail service

More background on the current efforts of the Association and other unions at Canada Post can be reviewed from this item from Prince George Television station CKPG which outlined some of the proposals and reaction in that community.

Update:  The Terrace Standard reported on Wednesday that Canada Post had just announced the end of door to door mail delivery to address which start with V8G in that community, with the switch to the community mail box system to take place in 2016.