A Canada Post representative trying to provide an update on the state of rural mail delivery got an earful from Guelph-Eramosa council last week.
Communications manager Andrew Paterson told council Canada Post is committed to rural delivery and said the current comprehensive mailbox study being conducted by the crown corporation is in no way a cost cutting move.
But councillors were not very receptive to that message.
“I don’t think the public even matters to you guys,” councillor Roger Knapp said.
He told Paterson Canada Post has “put the public at risk” by installing community mail boxes instead of continuing with rural home delivery in the township.
“I haven’t seen one in this area that’s safe,” he said, specifically mentioning one site near the corner of County Roads 29 and 124, and another near County Road 29 and Arkell Road.
Knapp said no one from Canada Post has sat down with township road staff to discuss proper turnarounds at the community mailbox locations.
Paterson said routes being assessed over the next several weeks include Ariss rural routes 1 and 2, totalling 510 mailboxes; and Rockwood RR 1 through 5, totalling 1,016 mailboxes.
He acknowledged that some of the community mailboxes were installed very quickly because of safety issues with specific mailboxes, and he said Canada Post is now looking at entire routes for safety concerns.
He added that his employer did meet with county officials to discuss the matter and always meets with lower tier municipalities before deciding on a site for a community mailbox.
Mayor Chris White said meeting with the township does not relieve Canada Post from its responsibilities to adhere to safety regulations when installing the community boxes.
Councillor John Scott said there is also a box on the 4th Line, installed within the last six months, that was placed on a “semi-hill,” up to which people often drive on the left hand side of the road to retrieve mail.
Scott added that in areas where rural mail delivery is still ongoing, Canada Post drivers are often “not compliant with the rules” of the road.
Paterson said anyone who sees a delivery driver zigzagging or driving on the wrong side of the road should call their post office, because those are unacceptable practices.
Councillor Doug Breen agreed with Knapp and told Paterson the community mailbox idea has solved nothing.
“It seems to me you’ve eliminated a safety concern for one person and created a safety concern for 50 people,” Breen said. He added the community mailbox idea is an urban concept and trying it in rural areas is like “trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
Breen explained that it forces residents to drive out of their way to get the mail and also creates problems for those living near the community mailboxes, who have to deal with dozens of vehicles daily turning around in their private driveways.
Knapp said there is also another problem with making 50 people drive to get their mail as opposed to having one delivery driver.
“Look at the environmental impact you’ve created,” he said.
Paterson apologized for the inconvenience and said Canada Post tries to locate all community mailboxes within two kilometres of residences. He told council that the crown corporation is “trying to strike a balance” between the complaints of its drivers and the wishes of customers.
Residents could also try to eliminate some trips to the mailbox by getting their mail while they’re out doing other errands, Paterson suggested.
Breen told Paterson that monitoring the rural routes during the daytime makes little sense. They should be watched after 5pm, when most people are actually getting their mail ,and when traffic on local roads can be “crazy,” Breen said.
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Canada Post is currently assessing a total of 843,000 rural mailboxes across Canada, including almost 5,000 in Wellington County. As of March, just 11,000 had been assessed.
Since 2004 there have been three rural carriers killed; over 70 accidents; and 1,700 health and safety complaints from drivers ranging from basic ergonomic concerns to “dangerous” situations.
Paterson said Canada Post is required by law to investigate and implement solutions for every complaint received.
Residents whose mailboxes are deemed unsafe will either have to move them at their own expense to a different location approved by Canada Post, or “as a last resort,” have to pick their mail up from a community mailbox.
