WHEREAS Canada Post has the authority to determine what it considers advertising or junk mail, and controls mail delivery to Canadians; AND WHEREAS rural municipalities use the unaddressed mail system to reach residents, especially in dealing with public safety issues, yet many residents have a no junk mail policy attached to their mailboxes and therefore do not receive these critical and mandatory notices: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the federal government instruct Canada Post that notices pertaining to the safety and protection of residents be given priority and placed in the mailboxes of all residents.
Canada Post As you may know, Canada Posts Consumers Choice program was implemented over 15 years ago in response to requests from consumers who did not wish to receive unaddressed advertising by mail. From the outset, we have made every attempt to respect their wishes. For various reasons, there are some exceptions to the program, including unaddressed notices from federal, provincial and municipal electoral offices, householder mailings from Members of the House of Commons, and community newspapers. I understand your concern that unaddressed notices from rural municipalities may not be reaching some Canadians because these items are not excluded from the Consumers Choice program. However, in all cases where the consumer indicates a preference through the program to not receive unaddressed mail, we leave them a notice card listing the items they will not longer receive. This allows the consumer to make an informed decision about whether they wish to receive this material. The application of the Consumers Choice program is based on the premise that individual consumers should have the final choice whether they wish to receive unaddressed mail. Expanding the exceptions to the program to include broad municipal notices would not be welcome to those who do not wish to receive more unaddressed mail. Currently, just under 10 of customers have elected through the Consumers Choice program not to receive unaddressed mail. Therefore, this mail continues to be delivered to around 90 of Canadian households and businesses. Finally, I assure you that Canada Post takes the interest of public safety seriously, and we have aligned our approach to certain circumstances. However, it is important for us to protect the interest of consumers and the integrity of the program. To better understand your concerns, we would appreciate it if you would provide us with specific details and examples of items that you would like municipalities to be able to mail. ... We will review your request to determine if there is a solution available to support the interest of public safety balanced against the discrete choices of individuals.