Evidence of meeting #46 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was rural.
10:45 a.m.
Liberal
Nick Whalen Liberal St. John's East, NL
I'll move on to another line. You talked about your printing and advertising, your flyer business. Are you a direct competitor, then, of Canada Post? Have they done any type of printing—
10:50 a.m.
President, Triple 4 Advertising Ltd.
We were a big customer. We moved away from Canada Post because of the cost. We're finding that courier service is more reliable, and it's very much cheaper.
10:50 a.m.
Liberal
Nick Whalen Liberal St. John's East, NL
Ms. Perkins, in terms of the complaints you raised regarding access to the community mailboxes, this notion of not being able to receive your goods at your address, can you elaborate a little bit on that?
My understanding is that these community mailboxes have a parcel delivery slot. You're notified of the code. If you can get to your box, you can get your parcel. You wouldn't have to drive across town to get your parcel. I, personally, don't have community mailbox service. Maybe you could elaborate on what it is and what your concerns are about parcel delivery to those community mailboxes.
10:50 a.m.
Vice-Chair, Wakamow Aboriginal Community Organization
When we're ordering hides or larger items, they don't fit in those little boxes. We have to go and pick them up, or we have to have them delivered to one of our addresses.
It becomes an inconvenience, especially if I'm at work when they come. Then I have to go and get it, because they need that paper saying they have it.
10:50 a.m.
Liberal
Nick Whalen Liberal St. John's East, NL
Maybe this is a question for both you and Mr. Watson. Do you feel that Canada Post, by not offering a high enough level of service for the different needs that you have, is relinquishing a portion of the market, and maybe a high-value portion of the market, to provide the courier services that will do what you ask?
10:50 a.m.
President, Triple 4 Advertising Ltd.
I totally agree with that, because it's all cost-related in business today.
10:50 a.m.
Liberal
Nick Whalen Liberal St. John's East, NL
If they wanted to access that high-value market, they should re-enter that business?
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Thanks for having us here today. It's wonderful being in Moose Jaw. It's great to see so many people here. We've been across the whole country, and disappointingly we rarely get more than three or four people out to these events. So to those in the back, welcome. Thanks for joining us.
Mr. Gulka-Tiechko, thanks for your comments. It's nice to sit with a city that has, I guess, converted. I want to go on a bit about the GILT money—and what a great acronym. What does SaskTel pay for their right of way per square foot? Do they pay the full retail value that you're asking Canada Post to pay, which you stated today?
10:50 a.m.
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
I can't speak to the specifics. We have a number of situations in which easements are common between SaskPower, SaskTel, and SaskEnergy.
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Because the easement in Edmonton is pennies per square foot and not the full commercial retail, I'm wondering whether you're looking for something different from Canada Post. It seems you're asking for quite a bit more than what SaskTel or others would pay for easement rates.
10:50 a.m.
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
Well, I certainly can't speak to SaskTel specifically, but I did mention the example of SaskPower, in which we get essentially a franchise fee for their distribution of infrastructure across the city, which is probably the major infrastructure that is involved. But again, we have common easements with other utilities, so there are lump costs in some ways.
The bottom line is that we feel there are significant maintenance and capital costs that the city is going to be facing, and we don't believe it's fair not to have some sort of equitable—
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
When you say significant costs, what would that be for, the boxes?
10:50 a.m.
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
In terms of maintenance, for example, it would be for snow clearance, and if there are situations—
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Canada Post pays for an outside contractor for the snow clearance.
10:50 a.m.
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
Well, they clear in front of the box, but if they're throwing snow on the street, that doesn't help us, especially in busy areas, so there are issues there.
In terms of capital costs, certainly there should be access for people with reduced mobility to those locations, so if some of them don't have that access or if they're not close enough, as we replace sidewalks we're going to have to specifically design sidewalks so that they will have those features to make them accessible.
There will be real long-term costs that we don't feel we should have to absorb, for which there should be some sort of compensation designed.
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
You mentioned that you'd like the city to go back to door-to-door delivery. We'd all like to have more service for less money. When the task force did polling, and very significant polling, overwhelmingly Canadians said they do not want to pay higher stamp prices, especially businesses, but they also don't want to pay higher taxes for these costs.
Would you suggest we do higher taxes to return to door-to-door, or subsidize it, or is it something that maybe the city, if a city wants it, should subsidize Canada Post for, when other areas and other cities do not have it? Right now, 73% of Canadians don't get door-to-door delivery.
Is it something the city would be willing to subsidize, or do you think taxpayers in general should subsidize?
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
It just goes back to the saying, there's no free lunch.
10:50 a.m.
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
Absolutely. I should clarify that I'm here as an administration representative for the city, since our mayor was not able to be here. There will be political responses that our leadership might be able to provide, but I wouldn't be in a position to do that.
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Thanks.
Mr. Watson, thanks for being here. I love your comments about the competition keeping everyone sharp.
You mentioned couriers. These are private couriers who are not picking up from your door or dropping off to your businesses?
