Canada Post is starting preliminary work to convert addresses that receive door-to-door mail to community mailboxes, and to phase out some post offices.
The Crown corporation said in a news release the process is beginning after meetings with union officials.
Canada Post said it's converting about four million addresses to community mailboxes and the work is expected to take about five years, with different regions moving to community mailboxes each year.
The corporation says it's starting discussions with 13 communities across Canada — including Ottawa and Winnipeg — as it prepares to move about 136,000 addresses from door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes in late 2026 and early 2027.
"Nearly three out of every four Canadian addresses already receive their mail and parcels through some form of centralized delivery," said the news release, noting that converting an address from door-to-door delivery to a community mailbox typically takes months.
"Canada Post will engage with communities as it identifies suitable locations for community mailbox sites. It is also notifying residents of the upcoming change to their mail delivery, and will keep them, businesses, bargaining agents and employees informed every step of the way."
Canada Post said it's also reviewing its retail network in preparation for closures of urban and suburban post offices in areas it says are currently over-served.
"While Canadians still value post offices, they are visiting them less frequently and making fewer in-store purchases," said the news release. "This pattern has driven a 30-per-cent drop in retail revenue since 2021. Usage is also uneven across the network."
The federal government last year ended a decades-long moratorium on rural post office closures, a move that sparked concern about the future of mail delivery in remote communities that aren't well served by private couriers.
Canada Post said it's conducting market reviews to gather data on local post offices.
"Regions will also be evaluated as a whole so each post office can be viewed through a community lens," said the news release. "The analysis will support the corporation’s careful evaluation of where changes to the network are most warranted, while prioritizing service to Canadians and protecting it where it’s needed most."
Ottawa announced a series of reforms to Canada Post late last year in an effort to save the Crown corporation millions of dollars annually.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rich Lam
