The post office is the initial technology of the government for communication and low scale cargo connectivity. It acts as a conduit between a people and its government. It is often the first presence of sovereignty in any country since it shows that the settlement is connected to the rest of a country.

[+] CanIFishHere@lemmy.ca -11 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Are you describing the pony express? Times and needs change.

[–] Tiresia@slrpnk.net 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

What's important is that there is some form of public service communication that everyone can access. The mail is safe to deprecate if and only if internet access is a public service instead: if every person gets a computer or smartphone with an internet connection for free.

That would honestly be a great system, but that's not one Canadians have. So the post should stay.

[+] CanIFishHere@lemmy.ca -8 points 3 days ago (6 children)

When was the last time you used canada post for communication? Even my 86 yr old friend uses email. Libraries have internet access, so it already is a free public service. I support Canada Post staying, but only if the people that use it pay for the cost.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Friday I got a parcel from China in my mailbox, because it was sent via normal mail, not UPS/FedEx.

My daughter was opening a bank account with a partner, they needed ID and a utility bill that had the mailing address printed on it. Paper address mailings are also used for citizenship and other matters as a way to help ensure you are in the country and picking up mail, rather than online fraud.

For CRA password account reset they paper mail you a code to stop online scams.

Court notice papers can legit be served by mail.

My strata ( by law ) has to mail certain documents like AGM info to residents, as electronic notification doesn't count for some specific things.

And so on.

As for your e savvy person. Great. My my old aunts don't have a cell phone or computer.

Also say you can't afford and ISP, you can't get electronic info at home, but mail comes free

[–] CanIFishHere@lemmy.ca -1 points 2 days ago

Canada Post usage is down to less than half. An average household receives two pieces of mail a week. The service, as it is currently funded, is not rational. It is over staffed and hugely overpriced.

[–] JC1@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Any government related communication like related to healthcare, driving licence, passport, etc. Insurances still send the physical contract by mail. Financial institutions also send by mail important documents. Most of these could be done electronically, but they are not.

The main issue is that our mail is polluted by all sorts of garbage publicity from different companies. Those should cost way way more to do. That way, we can reduce the need for evey mail delivery person to go to each door like they do now.

Looks like my address will be converted and having known both systems, I much prefer having a mail delivery person come to my home. It's a more personalized relation and he cares about us. It's just not the same with a community mailbox.

[–] CanIFishHere@lemmy.ca -2 points 2 days ago

Canada Post has gone from delivering over 5.5B letters in 2006 to less than 1/2 that in 2025, with no sign in sight of that trend reversing. Canada Post shouldn't be a make work program, or a feel good program. The system should reflect the need it is addressing.

[–] ArchEngel@lemmy.ca 6 points 3 days ago

Not everywhere has a library though, and not everyone can afford a phone or pc, so what to do about those people who do need the mail?

[–] Bane_Killgrind@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 days ago

I got my passport in the mail recently. All ID renewal needs costless delivery. So that's everyone that would use it.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 1 points 3 days ago

I mail in my votes, and Canada Post handles those. I would not trust any digital voting system.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca -1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You are getting down voted for reality.

[–] CanIFishHere@lemmy.ca 0 points 2 days ago

I'm getting downvoted for ideology. Noting that mail delivery has fallen to an average of 2 letters per week per household, with no significant reduction in mail carriers doesn't mean anything because their position isn't based on fact.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 2 days ago

If it were up to Volvo socialists, we would still be employing whalers and candle makers.

[–] orioler25@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

What I stated explicitly in my comment. Reread it, if you will.

[+] CanIFishHere@lemmy.ca -8 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Then your criteria make no sense. Just because it is state owned does not mean it has to operate at a loss. It is providing a service to businesses, and persons. I don't want taxpayers to subsidize businesses - let them pay what it costs. The other stuff you wrote sounds like word salad.

[–] GodofLies@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

You are only viewing this as a business. Not a public service. Private delivery companies can refuse to deliver for any reason. Now, let's take this into the context of sensitive parcels or mail-in voting. How do you know for sure that this future version of delivery will deliver it in good faith when it is in the hands of private control? Laws, rules and legislation be damned even if they exist for when there are high stakes things involved we know there is risk of cheating (like elections). Why would you even want to invite such a risk? We also know that the government are incredibly bad at keeping public data secure - so I wouldn't count on a fully electronic voting system.

Look at what electronic payment providers (Visa and Mastercard) have done to artists and indie developers. They are being deplatformed simply because under the eyes of these payment processors, they do not fit their broad and obscure guidelines, when the hosting platform (Steam and Patreon for example) and laws itself allows for such content. Under a neutral payment processor this wouldn't have happened. People's lives and income streams would collapse overnight.

Now look at media companies, are you also suggesting that CBC should be sold off and privatized when it's obvious that every private media company out there is out to push their version of propaganda and bias? Last I checked CBC doesn't make money either.

Using modern technology to fill in much of the services, while viable, is simply not a complete solution and it invites more risk than necessary.

The cost for sending parcels domestically is relatively cheap only because we are collectively subsidizing it - which in turn every Canadian actually benefits from this. This anchors the prices of parcel delivery among the private ones to stay relatively close to Canada Post's prices. You, in fact, benefit from this. Canada's population simply cannot be compared to many other country's postal rates because we do not have the population density for cheaper rates. What makes it worse is that Canada Post doesn't have the right of first refusal for any kind of mail or parcel delivery.

Your frustration with Canada Post should be directed at the series of federal governments that even let this happen in the first place when Canada Post itself have been telling the feds that they need to change their mandate for it to be more solvent.

Maybe you should also look into the cost of operating public transit, why Canada doesn't have a robust passenger rail network, and the duopoly of Air Canada and WestJet.

[–] orioler25@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 days ago

Great, do the readings then, it'll clear that up for you.