Government Operations committee  It just seems to me that when I look around my neighbourhood and see the things that happen on a day-to-day basis, more and more business is being taken away from Canada Post by other groups. I question why that has happened. Canada Post had the infrastructure. It had all of the people in place.

Government Operations committee  I think one of the problems we see continually is that the levels of government don't talk to each other. We have a very good relationship with the city. We're beginning to develop a very slight relationship with the province. We have no relationship whatsoever with the federal government.

Government Operations committee  I don't think that they would say it in those ways, but Canada Post is important to them. It's part of the fabric of Canada. It's part of what they have grown up to believe in. It's part of what they want. I'm not so sure that many of them would think in terms of national unity, or French-English relationships, or anything else, but it is a part of the fabric of Canada.

Government Operations committee  Your math isn't very good.

Government Operations committee  I think you're making some assumptions that don't need to be made. Does mail have to be delivered five days a week? Could mail not be delivered two days a week to homes? Would that not save money? That certainly wouldn't be a big problem.

Government Operations committee  I wouldn't have any problem with that at all. I think that this is a big country and there are people who live in places where it's a disadvantage. We have to work together to be able to resolve those issues.

Government Operations committee  It's important that Canada Post maintain the infrastructure because that infrastructure is what gives it an advantage in distributing materials across the country. The minute that infrastructure is dismantled, the opportunity is gone and it will never come back again. I think a lot of opportunities have been missed.

Government Operations committee  I don't think that's a problem, once a week, but I think that every time you remove a service you place a small barrier in front of people. A number of small barriers all of a sudden make an insurmountable barrier, and they can no longer stay in their homes. It's these tiny things that make the difference.

Government Operations committee  I think people would be willing to pay more, but I think you are missing the point. I think there is a huge amount of business that is not being done by Canada Post. There are many opportunities they simply haven't looked at. When magazines are now hand-delivered rather than delivered through the post office, that tells me there is something basically wrong with the way the post office is running its business.

Government Operations committee  Northeast, yes.

Government Operations committee  It's probably evenly split. The new areas to the north are all super-box delivered. Within those areas, you hear mixed comments. I spent some time...I didn't get very much warning of this committee, but I spent a few days—

Government Operations committee  —around the centre talking to people. Many people are happy with it, but they're people who have mobility. The people who have boxes near their houses are very unhappy, because they're the ones who are doing the work cleaning up around the boxes, and they're the ones who pick up all the flyers that get thrown on the ground every day.

Government Operations committee  I think the problem with it is that, by and large, people are not aware of it. It's not publicized. I did encounter some people who use that. I encountered other people who gave the key to their neighbour to go to the box and get the mail for them. There are all kinds of solutions to it.

Government Operations committee  It's both. I don't think you can separate them. It's a service because it's something that people depend on. I would like to add to Councillor Nickel that having the postal workers in the neighbourhood, especially in areas with high concentrations of seniors, is a very valuable thing.

Government Operations committee  Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you this morning. I'm the president and board chairman of the North Edmonton Seniors Association. The North Edmonton Seniors Association has over 2,300 members. We are the biggest seniors centre in the city, arguably one of the biggest in Canada.