In February, a Westwood Plateau resident discovered the mail that had gone missing from his community mailbox over Christmas was, in fact, much worse than a few lost envelopes: A thief had racked up $3,000 on his wife's credit card and had gained access to other important financial data.
Also in February, Coquitlam RCMP raided a Citadel Heights home and found more than 700 pieces of stolen mail, several machines for making credit, debit and identity cards, plus guns, ammunition, cash, drugs and numerous stolen items; two men were arrested, one of whom had already served time for similar offences.
Thieves have long been taking advantage of the community mailboxes found both in newer developments and those now replacing door-to-door delivery in older areas — pry open the door and there's easy access to mail destined for dozens of households. So when the Conservative federal government announced in 2013 that door-to-door delivery would be phased out (while also increasing the cost of stamps and eliminating about 8,000 Canada Post jobs), many expressed concern about the safety of their mail.
The government cited significant financial losses but critics have pointed out that while letter volume is down, parcel delivery is way up and the institution continues to turn a profit. More importantly, some say, the move is bad for seniors and people with physical disabilities.
"Having to go and get your mail somewhere and having it be a huge theft risk, that's not working for families," said NDP candidate Sara Norman, noting her party promises to cancel plans to end door-to-door delivery and reinstate the service for communities that have lost it.
"I'm not sure they saved a significant amount of money doing this," said Ron McKinnon, the local Liberal candidate, who noted service cuts hurt seniors and promised his party would put a moratorium on any further cuts to door-to-door delivery and review Canada Post's business plan to see where it needs help.
Conservative Douglas Horne pointed out that 70% of the Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam riding has never had door-to-door delivery and reinstating the service for the remaining areas would create an inequality among residents. "We need to find a format that's sustainable for Canada Post in the long run," Horne said.
Green Party candidate Brad Nickason said the government has been "pulling money away from Canada Post so it doesn't work, then claiming it doesn't work so they can get rid of it — it's ridiculous." He added that the Greens have promised a return to door-to-door delivery to create jobs, protect the public service and Canadians.
[email protected]
@spayneTC
