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.
10:50 a.m.
President, Triple 4 Advertising Ltd.
No, our biggest problem is mostly the people who come in using GPS to get to our building. They end up at the post office downtown because of the postal code.
Couriers pick up at our building every day.
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Okay, so it's just that we need Google Maps to fix it.
10:50 a.m.
President, Triple 4 Advertising Ltd.
Yes, but it's a problem that's growing as more and more people become dependent upon their BlackBerrys.
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
I agree. I couldn't find the meeting room here without a GPS. I'm that bad.
Ms. Perkins, I appreciate your comments about mobility. I have some background in seniors care. Canada Post has a service whereby once a week they'll deliver mail daily to the community mailbox, and once a week they'll gather it and deliver it to a home.
Would once-a-week service address the issues in the wintertime that your husband might be dealing with?
10:50 a.m.
Vice-Chair, Wakamow Aboriginal Community Organization
I think that would probably work for him. We don't get a lot of mail.
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
We do not do a good job of informing people about this. I think we need to do a lot more work with municipalities to let people know of the issue.
That would be adequate, do you think?
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Mr. Watson, you mentioned a bunch of other couriers stepping up. What are you using their services for? You've mentioned Canada Post's increases in pricing, and you've switched to other....
Is it parcel that becomes...?
10:50 a.m.
President, Triple 4 Advertising Ltd.
We send flyers to many stores in western Canada. All their ad mail goes out.... We have weekly flyers. The cost is horrendous from Canada Post compared with using a courier. I mentioned that the courier service from Saskatchewan went from $423 to $425 in one year, but if I were shipping that same parcel by post, it was $19.07 in 2015 and went to $19.41 to $26.90 in 2016. That's about seven dollars on one item. I guess the customer is ultimately the person who pays when we send something by courier. We have to keep our customers happy, as Canada Post has to as well.
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
10:50 a.m.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
Thanks very much. For more than 20 years my father taught electrician apprentices at SIAST in Moose Jaw, so I've been to this city many times, and it's great to be back.
We've heard some very compelling testimony in opposition to the decision taken under the previous Conservative government to eliminate door-to-door mail delivery, and in some ways it's a little bit strange that we're even discussing this matter, because we now have a new federal government that was elected on a promise to restore home mail delivery.
I would like to ask what your understanding was of the commitment that was made during the last election and what would be your expectation of the current federal government in terms of reinstating home mail delivery.
10:50 a.m.
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
Thank you, if that is directed to the city.
Again, since our political leader isn't here I wouldn't be able to respond on her behalf. Our city council's preference would be the restoration of door-to-door service.
10:50 a.m.
NDP
10:50 a.m.
Vice-Chair, Wakamow Aboriginal Community Organization
I forget the question; I'm sorry.
10:50 a.m.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
Was it your understanding that the current federal government was elected promising to restore home mail delivery, and do you expect that to happen?
10:50 a.m.
Vice-Chair, Wakamow Aboriginal Community Organization
I always expect things from the government.
10:50 a.m.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
Okay. Thanks very much.
I'm wondering if perhaps the city could elaborate a little bit more about the cost of accommodating these community mailboxes that have been imposed.
10:50 a.m.
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
This will take probably a few years to sort itself through, if it remains the delivery model we're left with. Both the maintenance costs and the adjustments for snow plowing in particular will have to sort themselves out in a regular winter, which last winter wasn't. The capital costs of the replacement of those locations will also be a concern.
We also have no idea, because we weren't consulted, whether some of these mailbox locations might be over top of a service line that goes from the city sewer water main directly to a residence and whether some of those might require extra costs as a result of replacement in the normal course of events.
I think we need some years of experience to really have a clear picture of what both the maintenance and the capital costs might be.
10:50 a.m.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
In terms of that lack of consultation from Canada Post, I know the corporation would say that it tried to consult, and that the city wasn't willing to. I wonder if you could set the record straight on that and give us more detail on what experience the city had in attempting to consult with Canada Post.
10:50 a.m.
Director of Planning and Development Services, City of Moose Jaw
We received two maps that said these are the locations of where they're going to be. That was pretty much the extent of what we received from Canada Post to the city. They didn't ask about any of the locations, or if the city had any concerns. It was just, “This is the map, and here's where they're going.”
10:50 a.m.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
Okay.
My colleague, Mr. McCauley asked a question about how to pay for home mail delivery, and one of the options this committee is considering is postal banking as a means of generating more revenue for Canada Post. Essentially the idea would be to offer some basic financial services at post offices. It would meet a need in the community for more affordable and accessible banking. It might also provide a new business line to make use of the network of offices that Canada Post has. I just wonder if anyone on the panel has any thoughts about the potential merits of postal banking.
10:50 a.m.
President, Triple 4 Advertising Ltd.
I'd be against it myself. I don't think that Canada Post should get into the banking business. We have a lot of good banks in this country, and they're treating the customers very fairly. Canada Post would have to improve to be in the banking business, in my opinion.
10:50 a.m.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
Are there any other thoughts on postal banking? Would there be interest in it? Does it seem like an idea that might help Canada Post generate some money?
10:50 a.m.
Brenda Marshall-Colenutt Secretary, Wakamow Aboriginal Community Organization
The Canada Post building here has a lot of meeting spaces upstairs that I believe could be empty. There are a lot of non-profit organizations that have trouble finding and financing a meeting place or having an office. That might be a viable solution for utilizing some of the spaces you have in your building.
