Door-to-door mail delivery being phased out starting Monday

Canada Post begins phasing out door-to-door mail delivery in a number of communities starting on Monday in a bid to save money.

Winnipeg, Fort McMurray, Calgary and Ottawa will begin losing home delivery service starting Monday, Canada Post spokesperson John Hamilton said.

In the GTA, Oakville will be among the first 11 cities to be switched to community mailboxes, starting next month, Hamilton said.

The exact date is not yet known.

In that city, over 26,000 homes and businesses are losing their personal mailbox service; however, 60 per cent of Oakville never had door-to-door delivery to begin with.

The decision to eliminate door-to-door delivery was announced last December and is expected to be complete by 2019.

About five-million homes are affected, but rural routes and delivery to apartment and condominiums will remain unchanged.

“The changes being made are necessary to secure the future of postal service in Canada and avoid becoming a burden on the taxpayers,” Canada Post said in a statement last week.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has launched a constitutional challenge to the move on the rounds it violates the rights of seniors and those with disabilities.