Memories of the year 1968. I turned 21 and was legally allowed to drink alcohol. It was also the year that I last received a letter in the mail on a Saturday, and the stamp on it cost four cents.
45 years later, the stamp costs 63 cents, but we ain’t seen nothing yet. By the end of March the cost of that stamp will jump more than 30% to 85 cents, and door to door delivery will be a thing of the past within five years.
Hard to believe it was less than a decade ago that Canada Post was that rarest of creatures, a crown corporation that showed a healthy profit. But even then it was clear that mail service as we have known it for decades was doomed. The digital world has taken over, both in business and our personal lives.
The question becomes a simple one. If postal service is doomed to die, should it be a slow lingering death, or an execution ? The latter route seems to have been chosen.
Customer service is to be killed almost immediately without so much as a few kind words. How else can you explain making such an announcement on the 11th of December? By the way, did you know that was the last day to ensure that your gift parcels are delivered before Christmas?
Most of us will grumble and accept the new reality without giving it a great deal of thought, but that reality will be a hardship for a lot of people. For the handicapped, getting to a community mailbox is not easy in the middle of summer. Imagine the joy in weather like we’re having right now on the prairies.
I live on a computer, and I seldom give it much thought, but there are thousands of Canadians who don’t. It will be a very difficult and expensive adjustment.
Merry Christmas from Canada Post.
Right ..
I’m Roger Currie
