Canada Post is preparing to convert an additional 485,000 homes across Canada from door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes in 2027, as part of the Crown corporation’s attempt to modernize and return to financial self-sustainability.
The post office is the initial technology of the government for communication and low scale cargo connectivity. It acts as a conduit between a people and its government. It is often the first presence of sovereignty in any country since it shows that the settlement is connected to the rest of a country.
What’s important is that there is some form of public service communication that everyone can access. The mail is safe to deprecate if and only if internet access is a public service instead: if every person gets a computer or smartphone with an internet connection for free.
That would honestly be a great system, but that’s not one Canadians have. So the post should stay.
When was the last time you used canada post for communication? Even my 86 yr old friend uses email. Libraries have internet access, so it already is a free public service. I support Canada Post staying, but only if the people that use it pay for the cost.
Then your criteria make no sense. Just because it is state owned does not mean it has to operate at a loss. It is providing a service to businesses, and persons. I don’t want taxpayers to subsidize businesses - let them pay what it costs. The other stuff you wrote sounds like word salad.
You are only viewing this as a business. Not a public service. Private delivery companies can refuse to deliver for any reason. Now, let’s take this into the context of sensitive parcels or mail-in voting. How do you know for sure that this future version of delivery will deliver it in good faith when it is in the hands of private control? Laws, rules and legislation be damned even if they exist for when there are high stakes things involved we know there is risk of cheating (like elections). Why would you even want to invite such a risk? We also know that the government are incredibly bad at keeping public data secure - so I wouldn’t count on a fully electronic voting system.
Look at what electronic payment providers (Visa and Mastercard) have done to artists and indie developers. They are being deplatformed simply because under the eyes of these payment processors, they do not fit their broad and obscure guidelines, when the hosting platform (Steam and Patreon for example) and laws itself allows for such content. Under a neutral payment processor this wouldn’t have happened. People’s lives and income streams would collapse overnight.
Now look at media companies, are you also suggesting that CBC should be sold off and privatized when it’s obvious that every private media company out there is out to push their version of propaganda and bias? Last I checked CBC doesn’t make money either.
Using modern technology to fill in much of the services, while viable, is simply not a complete solution and it invites more risk than necessary.
The cost for sending parcels domestically is relatively cheap only because we are collectively subsidizing it - which in turn every Canadian actually benefits from this. This anchors the prices of parcel delivery among the private ones to stay relatively close to Canada Post’s prices. You, in fact, benefit from this. Canada’s population simply cannot be compared to many other country’s postal rates because we do not have the population density for cheaper rates. What makes it worse is that Canada Post doesn’t have the right of first refusal for any kind of mail or parcel delivery.
Your frustration with Canada Post should be directed at the series of federal governments that even let this happen in the first place when Canada Post itself have been telling the feds that they need to change their mandate for it to be more solvent.
Maybe you should also look into the cost of operating public transit, why Canada doesn’t have a robust passenger rail network, and the duopoly of Air Canada and WestJet.
Using what criteria are you comparing the postal service to public education or healthcare?
The post office is the initial technology of the government for communication and low scale cargo connectivity. It acts as a conduit between a people and its government. It is often the first presence of sovereignty in any country since it shows that the settlement is connected to the rest of a country.
Are you describing the pony express? Times and needs change.
What’s important is that there is some form of public service communication that everyone can access. The mail is safe to deprecate if and only if internet access is a public service instead: if every person gets a computer or smartphone with an internet connection for free.
That would honestly be a great system, but that’s not one Canadians have. So the post should stay.
When was the last time you used canada post for communication? Even my 86 yr old friend uses email. Libraries have internet access, so it already is a free public service. I support Canada Post staying, but only if the people that use it pay for the cost.
I got my passport in the mail recently. All ID renewal needs costless delivery. So that’s everyone that would use it.
Not everywhere has a library though, and not everyone can afford a phone or pc, so what to do about those people who do need the mail?
What I stated explicitly in my comment. Reread it, if you will.
Then your criteria make no sense. Just because it is state owned does not mean it has to operate at a loss. It is providing a service to businesses, and persons. I don’t want taxpayers to subsidize businesses - let them pay what it costs. The other stuff you wrote sounds like word salad.
You are only viewing this as a business. Not a public service. Private delivery companies can refuse to deliver for any reason. Now, let’s take this into the context of sensitive parcels or mail-in voting. How do you know for sure that this future version of delivery will deliver it in good faith when it is in the hands of private control? Laws, rules and legislation be damned even if they exist for when there are high stakes things involved we know there is risk of cheating (like elections). Why would you even want to invite such a risk? We also know that the government are incredibly bad at keeping public data secure - so I wouldn’t count on a fully electronic voting system.
Look at what electronic payment providers (Visa and Mastercard) have done to artists and indie developers. They are being deplatformed simply because under the eyes of these payment processors, they do not fit their broad and obscure guidelines, when the hosting platform (Steam and Patreon for example) and laws itself allows for such content. Under a neutral payment processor this wouldn’t have happened. People’s lives and income streams would collapse overnight.
Now look at media companies, are you also suggesting that CBC should be sold off and privatized when it’s obvious that every private media company out there is out to push their version of propaganda and bias? Last I checked CBC doesn’t make money either.
Using modern technology to fill in much of the services, while viable, is simply not a complete solution and it invites more risk than necessary.
The cost for sending parcels domestically is relatively cheap only because we are collectively subsidizing it - which in turn every Canadian actually benefits from this. This anchors the prices of parcel delivery among the private ones to stay relatively close to Canada Post’s prices. You, in fact, benefit from this. Canada’s population simply cannot be compared to many other country’s postal rates because we do not have the population density for cheaper rates. What makes it worse is that Canada Post doesn’t have the right of first refusal for any kind of mail or parcel delivery.
Your frustration with Canada Post should be directed at the series of federal governments that even let this happen in the first place when Canada Post itself have been telling the feds that they need to change their mandate for it to be more solvent.
Maybe you should also look into the cost of operating public transit, why Canada doesn’t have a robust passenger rail network, and the duopoly of Air Canada and WestJet.
Great, do the readings then, it’ll clear that up for you.