Canada Post can become much more than the services currently offered.
That’s what the Canadian Union of Postal Workers suggests, having delivered a petition to Delta MP Carla Qualtrough on the weekend asking the federal government to consider a “Delivering Community Power” initiative that would expand the scope of what the postal service is all about.
Campaign coordinator James Hutt told the Optimist they’re hoping Qualtrough, the minister responsible for the Canada Post Corporation, will want to move forward their vision for a postal service that addresses climate change and inequality, while offering better services for all Canadians.
“What makes this really timely is that the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is in the middle of negotiations for a new contract and they have many of the Delivering Community Power proposals on the bargaining table,” he said.
The initiative includes such ideas as having charging stations for electric vehicles at post offices, postal banking that provides inclusive financial services, especially to those underserved by commercial banks, door-to-door mail carriers checking in on seniors and people with mobility issues to post offices becoming community hubs for digital access and social innovation.
According to the union, a revitalized Canada Post can lead the way to a “greener and more equal country.”
The union’s Delivering Community Power website (deliveringcommunitypower.ca) asks, “What if our cherished national institution, with its vast physical infrastructure and millions of daily human interactions, could offer us more?”
Earlier this year, Qualtrough announced the federal government’s vision for renewal at Canada Post, including the termination of a previous Conservative program to convert home delivery to community mailboxes.
Qualtrough at the announcement said it’s a first step of a longer-term process for renewing Canada Post so that it will remain relevant, valued and viable for the long term.
