The statistics are striking. According to the Conference Board of Canada, only one-third of Canadians have mail delivery to their door. Canada Post is expected to lose $1 billion by 2020. Canadians mailed about one fewer letters last year than they did in 2006.
Bearing this in mind, Canada Post is meeting with community leaders across the country on the future of the crown corporation and its survival.
Susan Margles, senior executive with Canada Post, says while there are challenges, there are also opportunities.
"…What we're also seeing is a growth as e-commerce grows in our parcel market,” she says.
But changing the way Canada Post does business is necessary.
Margles says many solutions have been suggested, including, “Changing door-to-door delivery to centralized delivery. They looked at potentially not delivering five days a week any more. They looked at changes in the pricing of stamps."
A controversial recommendation is also to reduce labour costs and that would mean layoffs.
One thing is certain. If Canada Post is going to survive, it’s going to have to change.
