Thank you.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and committee members. It is indeed an honour and a pleasure to appear before you this afternoon. Frankly, I was surprised by your kind invitation. I'm not part of a lobby group or a citizen with a particular concern. Personally, I've had only good experiences with Canada Post.
My best guess is that my nearly two decades of representing rural residents, and my experience as a municipal councillor in the Town of Milton—which is Canada's fastest growing community—may have offered me a unique perspective on some of the challenges that are facing residents and Canada Post today.
Speaking first as a rural councillor and a resident, end-of-driveway delivery is essential for most rural residents. It's convenient, yes, but it's also the safest location for picking up mail. Where mailboxes at the end of driveways did not meet the standards, or were not safe for Canada Post drivers, I worked closely with Canada Post to locate safe sites for community mailboxes. These, however, present some challenges, especially with snow clearing and access. There are not enough sites in rural areas to accommodate large-scale community boxes. Therefore, driveway delivery remains essential.
Sites in our rural area would have benefited from being set back a few more feet—if you're considering standards that you might look to for your sites—but village post offices are absolutely essential. There must be a local facility to mail, to receive parcels, to purchase stamps, and to access the other special mail services that are often offered.
One of the most common complaints that I receive as a rural councillor is address confusion. Addresses simply do not match municipal boundaries. My rural ward is served by five post office locations. Those would be Campbellville, Acton, Milton, Rockwood...actually, there are six locations if you include a few that are served from Guelph. This is often confusing, especially for those migrating from urban areas and for the providers of services. Personally, I have a Rockwood address but Milton taxes. This confuses even Elections Canada on election day.
On the bright side, my car insurance is calculated at a lower rate because I'm considered to be outside of the GTA.
From an urban perspective, in my role on council, the suspension of home delivery and the replacement with community mailboxes created many unfortunate circumstances in established neighbourhoods. In addition to losing the convenience of home delivery, many sites are simply not convenient and often not suitable for walking or car access.
Municipal staff can be very helpful in finding the best possible locations allowing for public access, sidewalks, and parking. This was not always done as these community boxes were located. Generally in the cases of new subdivisions, these sites are located with some considerations, but these are often overlooked in the refits.
Litter is often a complaint. I think that with the co-operation of municipalities perhaps you could arrange for covered recycling containers adjacent to some of the community mailbox locations.
For some, home mail service is much more than a convenience. It is essential that some accommodation be found for this group, perhaps utilizing a courier service, even if only twice a week, to deliver cheques, personal mail, to those who need this service. It could be considered.
I'd be very happy to answer any questions, and would welcome an opportunity to share Milton hospitality if you care to visit.
If I could deviate for just a moment, as an elected representative on a much smaller scale than you folks, I really do appreciate the work and the effort that you are putting in, not only to represent your ridings on these issues, but also to represent all of Canada. I applaud you for the time that you are taking away from your other duties and from your families to serve on this committee.
We look forward to many improvements as Canada Post faces its challenges.