Canada Post community mailbox suspension 'fantastic news'

As of next week, Canada Post will no longer be setting up new community mailboxes and that iswelcome news for residents who still have home delivery.

Canada Post had been in the middle of converting more than 460,000 addresses from coast to coast to community mailboxes.

The program is on hold as of Nov. 1.

"That's fantastic news," saidRoslyn Chambers, who was expecting her mail delivery service to her house in Halifax to end sometime soon. The announcement means nothing will change withher mail service.

"I was concerned over where they were going to locate one here and how far I would have to go and if it was going to be near my property, then I'd be having a bunch of people stopping and coming and going so this is great news,"she said.

But people who have already lost their door-to-door service will still have to go to their community mailbox to get their mail at least for now.

"Right from the beginning, it's been a nightmare," said Darla Preeper.

Preeper's community mailbox was built a year ago and she says she'shad a number of problems with her locks. A few weeks ago, her mail was soaked. She is happy to hear no more community mailboxes will be built, even though people who have them now must continue to usethem.

"I can't imagine people being very quiet about it if they are going to favour some and not others. I just can't see it," said Preeper.

Canada Post says it will work with the new government in Ottawa to come up with a new plan. The Crown corporation says customers affected by Monday's announcement will be contacted by mail within a few weeks.