Canada Post Moves Ahead With Plans to Cut Home Delivery

A Canada Post vehicle sits outside a facility in Ottawa, on Sept. 12, 2025. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Door-to-door mail delivery is coming to an end across the country as Canada Post proceeds with the restructuring plan mandated by the federal government last fall.

The federal mail service announced the upcoming change in a March 31 statement. It said the directive from Ottawa was to move ahead with the plan to end home delivery.

“These proposed changes include converting the remaining addresses that still receive delivery at the door to community mailboxes and modernizing our retail network,” the Crown corporation said in the statement.

The announcement comes several months after Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound said sweeping changes were coming to curb the financial losses of the Crown corporation as mail volumes continue to decline.

Lightbound announced last September that Ottawa plans to adopt all the recommendations made by Industrial Inquiry Commissioner William Kaplan in a report he submitted to the government in May 2025. The report contained several suggestions to improve Canada Post’s fiscal situation as the agency faced a $1.5 billion loss in 2025.

Lightbound said Canada Post was “effectively insolvent,” making change a necessity. Those changes included transitioning away from door-to-door delivery for 4 million additional addresses in favour of community mailboxes, as well as closing or converting some post offices to stabilize operations and regain financial stability.

The government is also authorizing Canada Post to change its delivery standards for non-urgent letter mail, allowing for ground transportation instead of air to reflect the reduced volume of mail.

“We continue to work closely with the government on the details of our proposed transformation plan,” Canada Post’s statement said. “At the same time, given the government’s direction to begin taking initial steps, we are reaching out to our bargaining agents to consult on our approach to several proposed changes.”

Union Responds

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CPUW) has been opposing the changes since they were announced, saying they will threaten jobs and disproportionately affect rural and remote communities that depend on Canada Post services.

“This is not the right time to consult,” union president Jan Simpson said in a press release. “We are fully focused on the upcoming ratification votes, a significant undertaking. This latest move by Canada Post and the Government is yet again another attempt to derail our negotiations process.”

CUPW declared a nationwide strike right after Lightbound’s announcement in September.

The union later transitioned to rotating strikes before reaching a preliminary agreement with Canada Post in November, although the deal has yet to be ratified.

Simpson said the union intends to oppose the cuts.

“The Government must not approve any changes to Canada Post or the Canadian Postal Service Charter without a full public mandate review that includes input from all stakeholders in every region of the country,” she said.

The Canadian Postal Service Charter is a federal document outlining service standards for Canada Post, ensuring they are universal, affordable, reliable, secure, and convenient. Established in 2009, it mandates five-day-a-week delivery to all Canadian addresses, including rural areas, while maintaining a widespread retail network.

Canada Post has confirmed that the government-mandated changes would require amendments to the charter.

“Canada Post has reached an important turning point,” the Canada Post statement said. “Our transformation will strengthen the postal service, allow us to be a better partner for businesses, and help us meet our dual mandate of delivering for all Canadians in a way that is financially self-sustainable.”

The federal mail agency has been in the red for several years. It incurred roughly $5 billion in losses between 2018 and 2025, recorded a $1.3 billion shortfall in 2024, and sought a $1 billion federal bailout in January 2025.

The Crown corporation also disclosed a pre-tax loss of $407 million for the second quarter of 2025 and $541 million in the third quarter. Fourth quarter results have not yet been announced but the agency said it was on track to lose roughly $1.5 billion overall.