What’s up with mail delivery in Richmond Hill?

Pilot project Canada Post 'concept store' opens at Hwy. 7 and Yonge

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 29, 2015
By Kim Zarzour

Remember when neither rain, snow, sleet, nor hail kept your mail from being brought to your door?

There are major changes afoot when it comes to mail delivery, and weather is the least of it.

With the remnants of Hurricane Patricia battering outside, the latest venture in Canadian mail delivery was launched in Richmond Hill yesterday.

The so-called “concept store” officially opened at Hwy. 7 and Yonge, a new approach by Canada Post that, if successful, could be rolled out nationwide.

Located in a former TD bank, the bright and airy store takes aim at a younger, digital-savvy market with a 24-7 self-service zone, drive-through for package pickup, vending machines for stamps and pre-paid parcel products and a changeroom to allow Internet shoppers to try on their purchases.

FIRST TO OFFER CHANGEROOMS

Canada Post spokesperson Anick Losier said it’s the first in North America and may be the first post office in the world to offer changerooms.

Richmond Hill was chosen for the pilot project because it has one of the highest number of online shoppers increasing year over year, she said.

The town was also chosen to test Loblaw’s new click-and-collect feature and Walmart has added Grab & Go lockers to its location on Silver Linden Drive - all catering to the needs of online shoppers.

Schulich School of Business marketing professor Robert Kozinets applauds Canada Post, which he said is catching up to two powerful global retail trends: e-commerce and experiential retail.

Kozinets said the most exciting aspect of the new Canada Post venture is the plan to provide space for online stores for “pop-up” kiosks to showcase their products.

“Playing in that space where the digital meets the physical, where Internet dreams are realized, is going to be an exciting, challenging and potentially profitable arena for Canada Post.”

At the same time, residents across York and across Canada were puzzling over postal policy flipflops as the plan to halt door-to-door delivery was abruptly stopped this week.

SUSPENDING COMMUNITY MAILBOX PROGRAM

In a brief statement released Monday, the crown corporation announced it is temporarily suspending future deployment of its program to convert door-to-door mail delivery to community mailboxes.

Throughout the recent federal election, all opposition parties promised to end the Canada Post conversion to superbox delivery.

Richmond Hill’s newly elected Liberal MP, Majid Jowhari, said yesterday, via Twitter, his government’s position remains to restore door-to door-delivery.

But some Richmond Hill residents, whose local post offices have closed recently, say all these changes are distressing.

Jason Cherniak, who operates a law firm near Leslie Street and Hwy. 7 was shocked Monday to see his local post office had closed.

A few times a month, the Richmond Hill lawyer stops at the main (and only) Canada Post outlet in the business area on West Beaver Creek, but this week he was greeted by a sign telling him that location is now closed, with a new location opening soon at Yonge and Hwy. 7.

“In other words, there is no longer a retail Canada Post outlet in Richmond Hill’s main business area. I know I can still buy stamps near my home, but it is no longer convenient for me from a business point of view when I need to send larger packages or parcels.”

Cherniak is a board member with the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce and plans to raise the issue with the chamber’s government affairs committee.

“This will definitely decrease my business use of Canada Post. It also increases my belief that Canada Post needs a major shakeup.”

Elsewhere in York Region, Dennis Warner is feeling like a person “of no fixed address” after the closure of his neighbourhood postal outlet at Willow Beach in Georgina.

The outlet has been in the same location for years, he said, but in late August residents received notice the location was closing Oct. 30.

He has since received keys and instructions on how to use a new superbox which has not yet been installed - leaving his community’s mail delivery in limbo.

Despite being an avid online shopper, Warner said traditional delivery is still essential.

“This new delivery system is going to be an immense burden on seniors and those of us with disabilities who have issues getting to and from the post office,” said Warner, who relies on a wheelchair since he was paralyzed in an accident.

“The amazing part is Canada Post never even bothered to solicit any sort of input from residents as to what solution may work best for them.”

Susan Eng, vice-president for advocacy at the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, agreed.

“The issue is that many view postal delivery as part of the national fabric - that this is an essential national public service that Canadians pay for through their taxes and it should carry on. If not, then they should only make changes with proper consultation.”

Eng said Canada Post faces a challenge with the many differing needs and expectations of Canadians - from those who are “stuck to their smartphones” to those who can’t fight through ice and snow to access their mail boxes.

She suggests the profit Canada Post makes on its booming parcel delivery service should subsidize door-to-door delivery for those who need it, in the same way heavily profitable delivery routes have always supported those in far-flung areas of the country.

Providing fancy new stores for online shoppers may be good for those who use that service, Eng adds, “but you can’t just leave behind the people who are not served”.