Canada Post has recently started consultation with their union in regards to potentially changing the hours at the Jaffray Post Office. Some residents are concerned there will be cuts.
It is no secret that Canadians, regardless of where they live, are using the post office differently than they use to. More and more use digital alternative to pay their bills, and receive cheques. This has impacted Canada Post tremendously between 2006 and 2012; Canadians sent one billion less letters in the mail. In the past quarter alone, another 73 million less letters compared to the same time last year. The impact of fewer letters has been on Canada Post's bottom line. In the third quarter, Canada Post will be posting a significant financial loss in 2013.
According to Anick Losier, Canada Post media relations, the Jaffray Post Office is proposing to change its hours to correspond to traffic patterns when people use the post office most, as well as enabling cost savings.
“The bottom line, Canada Post's mandate is to ensure our revenues pay for our operations (e.g. no taxpayer funds pay for Canada Post's operations - and have not for almost 20 years) and continue playing a relevant role in Canadians lives as they change how they use us,” said Losier.
In the proposed hour changes, the post office would be closed on Saturday, when it is used very little, but extend some hours during weekdays like Friday until 6 pm. They would open earlier at 8 am compared to 9 am but the post office would be closed between 10:15 am and 2 pm.
“No one is losing their job; our employees have job security,” said Losier. “We recently had a retirement and will be able to make any reductions by attrition.”
No decision has been made yet.
“We need to find ways to make the post office (and the whole network) viable for the long term,” said Losier. “This is why we are proposing to change hours of operations in order to fit people's busy schedules and changing habits.”