Canada Post Corporation (CPC) representatives have started to visit residents adjacent to proposed Community Mail Box Locations to advise them of the location.
I have been receiving calls from residents who are confused or upset over the location(s) that have been selected by CPC. Town Councillors have a map showing the DRAFT locations for these boxes. As these maps are DRAFT and the property of CPC, I have been advised that I am not allowed to post them or link them to this newsletter. If you would like further information or your area’s DRAFT location, please let me know.
"Canada Post, not the municipality, is choosing the mailbox locations," - says a senior Canada Post official.
CPC has exclusive jurisdiction over the location of their Community Mail Boxes. Neither the town nor Oakville Council had, or has, any say over CPC’s decision to discontinue door-to-door mail delivery. Further, CPC even has the right to use our public road allowance for its post boxes and community mailboxes; therefore, Building Permits are not required for the construction or placement of these units. You may contact CPC at 1-800-267-1177 and your federal MP Terence Young at young.T@parl.gc.ca or at 905-338-2008 to make sure that they are aware of your concerns.
A number of residents have contacted me stating that the CPC representative told them that the Town of Oakville had selected/approved the locations. When asked about these allegations, a senior CPC official provided the following response:
“I want to reassure you that our teams have undergone thorough training for the customer contact phase and have been instructed repeatedly to tell customers that Canada Post, not the municipality, is choosing the mailbox locations. Our team members also carry identification and do provide a name. If you do get a concern raised by an Oakville resident and you do not have the name of the Canada Post representative, I will be able to make inquiries if I have the resident's name and address, including postal code, which will lead me to the mailbox site."
I have also been in touch directly with the team lead who has told me: "The community outreach team in Oakville is very cognizant of the situation with the town and are NOT telling residents that the town is choosing/approving any of the sites. Even with that response, we are reminding our teams to NOT say in any way that the town is deciding on the locations."
As you have experienced, it can be a very emotionally charged issue and in that environment, the messages may sometimes be misheard or simply don't get through. Please do not hesitate to pass along your residents' concerns to us and our teams will address them.”
The following motion was passed at the May 26th meeting of Town Council:The following motion was passed at the May 26th meeting of Town Council:
Preserving Canada Post Door-to-door Delivery
WHEREAS Canada Post has announced plans to cease door-to-door delivery in Oakville and other communities;
WHEREAS many citizens, especially seniors and persons with disabilities, will be impacted by this change; and
WHEREAS issues of concern for the Town of Oakville related to the placement of the new community mailboxes include, but are not limited to, access for seniors and persons with disabilities, the location of the boxes and impacts to adjacent properties, traffic, parking, land use policy, street lighting, littering, graffiti removal, theft and vandalism, snow and ice clearance, downloading of responsibilities and costs;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
THAT the Federal Government direct Canada Post to maintain the current system of residential door-to-door postal delivery in Canada and that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities be requested to support this motion; and
THAT a copy of this resolution be sent to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Region of Halton, City of Burlington, Town of Milton, Town of Halton Hills, local Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Parliament and Canada Post.
