Sample letter to customers on Community Mail Boxes (CMBs)

Dear Customer,

Re: Door-to-door mail delivery

It has come to the attention of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers that Canada Post is planning to replace the door-to-door mail delivery you currently have with centralized mailboxes.

It is our understanding that the Carleton Condominium Corporation has requested this reduction in postal service due to mailbox vandalism and theft . The condominium corporation may believe moving to community mailboxes is a more secure option. However, there is no evidence that community mailboxes reduce theft or vandalism.

In fact, community mailboxes have been vandalized from Barrie, ON to Coquitlam, BC. And that only covers a small portion of total publicized cases in the last few months. Just last Friday, the police said an identity-theft ring may be responsible for a break-in at six community mailboxes in Winnipeg (article attached).

Community mailboxes will not give you the quality mail delivery your neighbourhood has enjoyed for over 30 years. In a customer satisfaction survey of residents who had switched from community mailboxes to door-to-door delivery, 83% of customers said they preferred their personal mailboxes. Community mailboxes have a range of problems such as accessibility for seniors, litter, and snow build-up in winter. Moving from door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes also puts more cars on the road – yours, if you drive to collect mail at the new location and ours, because postal vehicles are used when delivering mail to centralized locations. This will only put more vehicle emissions into the air.

There are many ways to solve these problems other than stopping door-to-door mail delivery. Mail can be delivered to front door mail slots or mailboxes can be moved or secured. Having customers walk to community mailboxes at night or in the cold, rain or snow is not the solution.

We have included a letter from the condominium corporation requesting that postal service be modified and several media articles that illustrate problems with community mailboxes. We suggest you ask the Carleton Condominium Corporation to reverse its decision and inform your MP, David McGuinty, (1883 Bank St. Ottawa, ON K1V 7Z9; 613-990-8640) that you oppose the service cuts. Please contact the Ottawa local of CUPW for more information about this issue at (613) 739-8051.

A message from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers