The City of Windsor Seniors Advisory Committee, which I'll shorten to SAC, welcomes this opportunity to make its presentation to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.
The SAC is an appointed committee of the City of Windsor and comprises a cross-section of seniors, representatives of seniors groups, and agencies representatives, all of whom are fully committed to working toward the betterment of the life and living environment of seniors in this community. The SAC believes that all older adults have the right to multiple opportunities for healthy aging and a full range of supports to assist them.
This brief before the committee will focus on the impact of proposed changes to the Canada Post Corporation's service delivery to the Canadian public as it affects seniors and marginalized and disenfranchised older adults in our community.
For the SAC, the corporation's decision to eliminate its door-to-door service delivery will be felt most acutely by seniors. Seniors are in an especially vulnerable situation when it comes to mail delivery. While many are living independently and enjoying new lives and challenges in retirement, a significant number of seniors also face increasing health setbacks and isolation. It is this segment of the senior population that Canada Post has not given in-depth thought to in its proposal to eliminate door-to-door service and establish community mailboxes.
Many seniors face health struggles while maintaining their own home. It is these seniors who rely on door-to-door service and are physically unable to make the trip to a community mailbox. These are individuals who are housebound for a number of reasons, due to their physical disability, diminishing cognitive skills, and general frailty. For them, community mailboxes are not an option.
Moreover, for these vulnerable seniors, there is an element of safety in being able to receive their mail at their home. Community mailboxes pose potential security risks, whether from opportunistic strangers or the unpredictability of the weather, especially during the winter.
In these times of diminishing public use of the regular mail system, the SAC understands that this has an impact on the corporation's fiscal outcome. However, the needs of vulnerable Canadians should not be overlooked and cast aside for the bottom line.
Instead of a total elimination of door-to-door service, perhaps a reduced mail service can be implemented, two or three times a week rather than daily. This will maintain the sense of security that vulnerable residents have of their mail service and continue to keep jobs through letter carriers.
Finally, another thing the corporation may consider for our increasingly aging population is a rethinking of how postal workers engage with vulnerable seniors who live at home. Currently, letter carriers will notify homeowners if there are aspects of exterior maintenance that may hinder their ability to deliver the mail, such as unshovelled snow or unleashed animals. If the corporation empowers and trains its employees to be more observant of conditions of neglect that may raise possible concerns about residents within these homes, this would bring a new level of social responsibility that may enhance the corporation's role and relevance.
For the standing committee's consideration, the SAC therefore recommends the following: that the corporation consider making an exemption for vulnerable seniors to continue receiving door-to-door service, that the corporation consider reducing the frequency of its door-to-door service instead of outright elimination, and that the corporation train its letter carriers to be more attentive when delivering mail to homes where seniors live.
In closing, the SAC appreciates that the committee took the time to make a visit to Windsor and hear our voices—rather than for us to travel to Ottawa—and we would be pleased to discuss this with you at a future time.
Thank you.