Door-to-door mail delivery still at 81 per cent in Regina

Canada Post has maintained only one third of Canadians would be affected by the switch to community mailboxes, but in Regina 81 per cent of addresses still get mail delivered to the door.

A week after the election, Canada Post announced it would suspend the installation of community mailboxes. During the election campaign, the Liberal party promised to halt the five-year plan to end door-to-door mail delivery and convert all addresses to a centralized delivery system. The party said it would study the system to find the best way to provide service.

In a series of emails with a communications person at Canada Post, News Talk Radio has learned that 62,095 addresses in Regina still receive door-to-door mail delivery. A further 18,559 addresses get delivery to a lockbox at an apartment or condo building. Only 827 addresses are considered to be rural or P.O. boxes in Regina.

Canada Post initially counted lockboxes at apartment and condo buildings among the two thirds of Canadians who use a centralized mail delivery system.

Regina was not part of the initial conversion program, but 18,392 addresses are already linked to community mailboxes at this time.

Moose Jaw, Estevan, Yorkton and Prince Albert have already been converted to community mailboxes. Plans to install community mailboxes in North Battleford and Weyburn in 2016 have been put on hold. Before the conversion, 11,477 addresses got mail delivered to the door in Moose Jaw with 3,208 addresses using a community mailbox.

Canada Post maintains that cancelling door to door delivery would save the agency $500 million per year.