Canada Post won't slow super mailbox plan in Hamilton

Police are answering calls to keep the peace. Citizens are sitting in dirt holes to get in the way of contractors. The matter is due in court at the end of the month, and still, Canada Post isn't slowing its plan to install super mailboxes on the Mountain.

Despite the drama, Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton says the corporation is just proceeding as it plannedto replace urban door-to-door servicewith community mailboxes for 36,000 Mountain homes.

And that means nearly all of the mailboxes will be installed by the time Canada Post faces off with the city of Hamilton over a bylaw to give the city some control over where the mailboxes are placed.

"We're working through our plan as we've been doing since the beginning of this," Hamilton said.

"We're looking in May or early June" to have the boxes completed on the Mountain, he said on Thursday. "That's been our plan for many months. We continue to install today."

• Canada Post and Hamilton will square off in court at the end of May

On Thursday, Coun. Terry Whitehead of Ward 8 encouraged people on Twitter to stand up against the mailboxes. He also encouraged them to call his office to report any installation sightings, saying it goes against the city bylaw.

Seven police calls in May

City council passed that bylaw an amendment to its Roads Installation-Equipment Bylaw last month. It says Canada Post must pay $200 per community mailbox location, and consult the city. Canada Post said its federally legislated mandate to deliver the mail trumps municipal laws.

We have a roll-out plan that we're executing right now.That is our focus and the court date is separate from that.- Jon Hamilton, Canada Post

City lawyers applied to the court to stop Canada Post's installations. Canada Post applied to strike down the bylaw. Both will appear in Hamilton superior court the week of May 25.

Until then, Canada Post keeps installing. Hamilton Police have responded to seven calls about mailboxes in May, said spokesperson Catherine Martin. The arriving officers don't charge anyone. They just keep the peace.

"Hamilton Police does not take a position of sides in disputes," she said.

"In the event that a criminal offence is alleged or committed then the appropriate investigation will take place and the necessary actions taken."

'Court date is separate' from installation

Whitehead believes the corporation is hurrying to install the mailboxes to beat the court date, which Hamilton says isn't true.

"We have a roll-out plan that we're executing right now," he said. "That is our focus and the court date is separate from that."

By continuing to install, Canada Post is "taking advantage of our goodwill in regards to not pushing harder on the injunction so we could have that discussion while a third party makes a decision," Whitehead said.

"The fact that they're trying to ram this through is insulting, disrespectful and arrogant. In that context, we need to step up our actions and that's exactly what's taken place."

A member of Whitehead's staff, Howard Rabb, did that this week. He tried to stop a contractor installing a community mailbox. The contractor called the police, he said, and he stood in the hole until police arrived. No charges were laid.

City spokesman Mike Kirkopoulossays there are no plans to seeks an injunctionto halt the installations until the case can get to court.

Changed more than 200 locations

Hamilton said Canada Post has tweaked about 30 per cent of its 1,000 Mountainlocations based on resident and cityfeedback. But that's only slightly higher than the national average of 25 per cent as it installs community mailboxes across the country.

"The important part is we're out talking to people, getting feedback and making changes as we go," he said.

Canada Post surveyed residents and consulted with the city last year, Hamilton said. It's been planning the transition since last June.

The Mountain transition impacts 36,000 households. Canada Post will phase out all urban door-to-door household delivery in Hamilton over the next five years, or about 117,000 homes. About 34,000 Hamilton homes already have community mailboxes.

The plan could mean more than 300 job losses, says the local unit of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

samantha.craggs@cbc.ca | @SamCraggsCBC