Canada Post has announced that work is beginning on a “multi-year transformation” of the corporation’s delivery services. Union representatives have raised concerns over what this cutback to services could mean for Canadian customers. 

The crown corporation said it aims to modernize its services without creating a “burden on taxpayers.” This process is centred on shifting all delivery services towards a community mailbox model. 

Over this multi-year process about four million addresses will be transitioned away from the traditional home delivery towards the community mailbox approach. 

Thirteen communities across cities such as Ottawa, Winnipeg and Moncton, N.B., are currently being approached by Canada Post as the first locations to be converted, as of late this year or by early 2027. 

Community mailboxes contain locked compartments for mail “offering residents consistent, reliable access at any time of the day,” the corporation said in a statement released on April 16. 

Customers can request home delivery if they are unable to access a central mailbox, Canada Post said. This service exists for seniors and those living with mobility issues. 

“We’re committed to moving forward in a thoughtful way that prioritizes service for all Canadians, while protecting access to vital postal services in rural, remote and Indigenous communities,” the statement reads. 

The Canadian Union for Postal Workers, or CUPW, said the move endangers Canada Post’s ability to compete with other delivery services which offer straight-to-door deliveries. 

CUPW is “deeply concerned that Canada Post is moving forward with its plans to eliminate door-to-door delivery and convert more households to community mailboxes,” the union said. 

The union is calling on a public review of the service overhaul so that the postal service can “fulfill its mandate to serve all Canadians.” 

“Postal workers know their customers and their communities, and we know what is possible,” the union said, “cutting delivery to the door means longer walks to community mailboxes for the public.” 

Reviews of service will accompany the transformation process, Canada Post said in its statement. The corporation said that a region-by-region review will occur alongside the changes, where “each post office can be viewed through a community lens.” 

The process to transform a community from door-to-door service to a central mailbox takes months, and the transformation countrywide is a multi-year process, Canada Post said.