Bring back postal banking, northern food mail program, union tells Canada Post

As chartered banks abandon small communities around the country, some say it's time for Canada Post to step up and take on the role.

"It's an issue for the communities here in the North," LindaLefrancois, president of the Yellowknife local for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, who attendedCanada Post'sannual public meetingthis week in the N.W.T. capital.

"In Yellowknife, yes, we have the banksbut [with a]Canada Post bank there would be a very large network because every city in Canada and [many] rural communities havea post office."

Indeed, the postal banking network could be huge about6,200 offices.

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Canada was served by postal banks for about acentury before the system was dissolved in 1968.

The federal governmentis currently conducting an independent review of Canada Post "to ensure Canadians receive quality postal services at a reasonable price."

Postal banking is part of thatreview, said corporation spokesmanJon Hamilton.

"When that report comes out, we will see what's in it and what they recommend and then we'll start building that plan going forward," he said.

The report is expected by the end of the year.

"We'll go from there and see what we can provide" Hamilton said.

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More than postal banking, however, Canada Post's primary goal is to solidify its position as the country's No. 1parcel-delivery service. And it's getting support for that in the northern market, Hamilton said.

"We are now providing consumers that live in places like Yellowknife, Whitehorse, Iqaluit with access to goods and services that they couldn't get before,"he said.

"When you come up north, there is a line-up at the post office because they are using the service. It's a vital part of the communities so we understand that."

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But more needs to be done. During Thursday's public meeting, attended by more than 50 people, Canada Post representatives repeated many times that the company has to be self-sustainable in a competitive market.

Planes fly full to the communities but need also to be full when they leave, so Canada Post has decided to work with northern retailers and train them in e-commerce.

"So they can set up a business in Yellowknife, in Iqaluit, in Whitehorse or in the most remote communities and then use Canada Post to ship their product to the people in Toronto or Vancouver that may want it," Hamilton said.

The first training is happening next month in Whitehorse.

CUPW has also askedthe corporationto reinstate the food mail program, which used to bring healthy food to northern communities, but Hamilton saidthat's not Canada Post's decision.

"We're not in that anymore because the government of the day decided to go in a different direction rather than ask Canada Post to deliver the food to some of the northern remote communities," he said.

"So that's obviously up to them in termof the decisions as to what they want Canada Post's role to be."