Plight of the post office

CPAA working on campaign to ensure rural post offices stay open

Posted By Hayley Brigg

Posted 10 months ago

Though the government may say it is committed to keeping rural post offices open, the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association (CPAA) believe the work is far from over.

The CPAA has launched a campaign to lobby the federal government not to make some of the changes recommended in its 2009 Canada Post Corporation Strategic Review.

Hughes explains that in the strategic review – which was launched in 2008 and made public earlier this spring – several of the recommendations could cause a slip back in the progress the government has made since 2005, when it announced its intent to uphold a 1994 moratorium to stop rural post office closures.

In April of 2008, then Minister responsible for Canada Post, Lawrence Cannon, called for a strategic review of the Crown corporation to examine the areas of market and competition, public policy objectives and responsibility, commercial activities, and financial and performance targets.

Hughes explains that the CPAA's area of concern is a particular recommendation in the review that suggests that Canada Post be permitted to use privately owned dealer outlets as a service delivery option in rural Canada.

"Between 1986 and 1994 when the moratorium was passed, 150 rural post offices in Manitoba alone were closed and replaced with private outlets," said Hughes, pointing out post office spots in community gas stations or convenience stores as examples. "Since then, many of those private outlets have closed, leaving those communities without any service."

Hughes says that in the past, Canada Post has 'bent over backwards' in an attempt to find new homes for the post offices, but says that if no business owner wishes to host it in their space and employees can't be found, the communities are out of luck.

She adds that without a post office, Canadians living in rural areas will have to travel to another town to receive items such as large parcels, purchase stamps, or obtain federal documents such as passports, hunting permits, and income tax forms.

St. Clements Coun. Robert Belanger agrees with Hughes that the closure of rural post offices would be detrimental to small communities.

He says that earlier this spring, the St. Clements community of Libau was facing a similar situation when its postmistress retired and a replacement could not be found, putting the fate of the post office in jeopardy.

"It was a big issue, and a lot of people were concerned with what was going to happen to the post office," said Belanger. "Keeping it open was really important to them."

Belanger says residents held a massive town meeting that was attended by himself and fellow municipal Couns. Ed Gunning and Rod Cameron. They, along with the residents, sent letters to Canada Post requesting a solution be found.

"We told them that we had met with the community and that we too didn't want to see it close," said Belanger. "Eventually, an employee was found and it's still open today."

Belanger explains that post offices in rural areas are important, because they not only signify that there is life in a community, but provide an essential service to its residents.

"Rural communities are dwindling away all over Manitoba, and if you take away that federal presence of a post office, is that now the end of that community?" asked Belanger. "The post office ties everyone together, and gives the community essentially a land mark, a spot on the map. It doesn't really make sense to close them."

He adds that if Canada Post had not found a solution in Libau, the community would have most likely turned to dust.

"In the past, Libau was a vibrant and growing farming community, but it has definitely grown smaller and smaller every year. I think if the post office had closed, it would have been like the final nail in the coffin," said Belanger. "People would have then had to go to East Selkirk for those services, and they might as well have packed up and moved there."

In an effort to reduce the risk to rural post offices, Hughes explains the CPAA has launched a postcard campaign called "Keep the Heart Beating in Rural Canada", designed at catching the attention of federal MPs to voice concerns over the review, and the possible changes it may create.

"We want to give rural Canadians a voice so that they can lend their support and have their concerns be heard," said Hughes.

Campaign postcards can be obtained by inquiring at local post offices, or by visiting the CPAA website at www.cpaa-acmpa.ca.