New Canada Post parcel plant to be named after country’s first Black letter carrier

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Canada Post said it was dealing with “Christmas-level” volumes of parcels, as Canadians stayed home and turned to online retailers for everything from bread and eggs to toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

While the initial surge has ebbed, online shopping levels have remained high, with the Canadian e-commerce market almost doubling in size over the past two years.

To respond to the burgeoning demand over the last few years, Canada Post is building a dedicated parcel processing plant in Scarborough that is approximately the size of six football fields — a whopping 585,000 square feet.

The $470-million facility is expected to be able to sort 60,000 packages an hour — outperforming the postal agency’s current largest parcel plant in Mississauga. At full capacity, it will be able to process more than a million packages a day.

“With this facility, with the sortation technology, a parcel can come in and get sorted and get re-labelled to go to another location within four minutes,” said Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger at an unveiling event on Thursday.

He added that the plant’s capacity will eventually translate into packages being delivered sooner than customers are used to.

“What we’ve learned from COVID is Canadians expect more, they expect better service and were responding to that. Our number one priority right now is to enhance service — that’s what this facility is all about,” said Ettinger.

In a release, Canada Post said the building will be the agency’s first zero-carbon building and the country’s largest industrial project with the Zero Carbon Building Standard designation.

Plant named after Albert Jackson

The plant will be named after Albert Jackson, who is believed to be the first Black letter carrier in Canada. His mother escaped slavery in the United States and came to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Canada Post also introduced a stamp in Jackson’s honour in 2019 to mark Black History Month that year.

Forty of Jackson’s family members attended the unveiling event in Scarborough, two of whom also work with the postal agency.

His grandson Lawrence, 90, said the facility dedicated to his grandfather is an honour he could never have imagined.

“I never thought, neither did my grandparents ever think coming from slavery to humanity, that we would ever get this far,” he told CityNews. “[My grandfather] would say these words ‘well done, well done my children.'”

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Jackson was hired by Canada Post in 1882 — a time when the agency’s letter carriers were all white. His colleagues refused to train him for the job and he was subsequently assigned a lower position.

Toronto’s Black community rallied around Jackson and demanded he be reinstated, reaching out to then Prime Minister John A. Macdonald to right the wrong. Macdonald eventually intervened and Jackson was able to return to his job as a letter carrier, where he remained for 36 years, until his death in 1918.

His great-great-grandchild Tamara Jackson said naming the plant after him is a fitting tribute to his legacy of battling racism and discrimination.

“What is a legacy? It is planting seeds in a garden that you will never see. Well great-great-grandpa Albert, look at all of us here today honouring you, we are your garden,” she said in a speech at the event. “You did not give in to your past and let that determine your future. Your self-belief has allowed this garden to flourish beyond belief and for that, we are truly grateful.”

Francine Jackson, another of Jackson’s great-great-grandchildren added that his life is an inspiration to all the generations that have followed in his footsteps.

“He was and is our hero and beloved ancestor. It was his strength, determination and tenacity that helped him achieve his goal of becoming a postman to support his family against all odds,” she said.

Toronto city councillor Cynthia Lai says she’s excited about the employment opportunities the plant will bring to her ward and applauds the decision to name it after Jackson

“We say that diversity is a fact but inclusion is a choice,” she said. “I’m commending Canada Post for taking the leadership and walking the talk.”

The facility is currently under construction and is expected to open in early 2023.