Thursday, December 10, 2015

Restore door-to-door, then study!


Please write to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement:

Tell her it is unacceptable for affected communities to still be grappling with divisive Canada Post decisions that leave some neighbourhoods with half-completed conversions while others see removals of the Self-Serve Mailboxes that had been installed.  Tell her to restore door-to-door mail before Christmas 2015 and to give these neighbourhoods a well-merited gift for their already considerable patience with Canada Post's service cuts.

*Use the following addresses to cc the Ministers in London.

judy.foote@parl.gc.ca
cc:Peter.Fragiskatos@parl.gc.ca,
Kate.Young@parl.gc.ca,
Mathyssen.I@parl.gc.ca,
Karen.Vecchio@parl.gc.ca,
justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca,
pm@pm.parl.gc.ca

Sample letter

Dear Minister Foote,

For the thousands of residents affected by the October 26th announcement of a halt to Canada Post mailbox installations, this was only a partial step in the right direction.

I urge you to order the restoration of door-to-door mail delivery to those households who have been submitted to Canada Post's hurried and ill-considered conversions this year. This implementation was rushed during and after the election period and  has left residents on a same street divided, with neighbours on one side of the street receiving their mail at their door while their neighbours must go to the roadside mailbox. This is because Canada Post claims their conversion was completed in our neighbourhood when in actual fact this is not true.

Your recently announced study of our successful Crown Corporation should be undertaken with the pre-cuts level of service, i.e. what we enjoyed up until last summer, in order to have a realistic baseline for comparison. The public must be involved in a thorough and accountable review of Canada Post's operations as a public service including a return to postal banking. It is difficult to conceive of such a study working under current Harper appointed upper management at Canada Post.

I urge you to restore these households' door-to-door mail delivery before winter weather conditions make the newly imposed self-serve mailboxes even more dangerous, and to  these Canadians an early Christmas gift.

Sincerely,
Name & Address


cc
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Kate Young, Member of Parliament, London West
Peter Fragiskatos, Member of Parliament, London North Centre
Irene Mathyssen, Member of Parliament, London Fanshawe
Karen Vecchio, Member of Parliament Elgin-Middlesex-London

*See addresses above








Monday, November 9, 2015

Help stop Canada Post from installing more Self-Serve Mailboxes, Defying Minister

Help  stop Canada Post from installing more Self-Serve Mailboxes, Defying Minister

Last March, Newfoundland MP Judy Foote (now Minister responsible for Canada Post) said about door-to-door cuts:

The [Harper] Government is ignoring the thousands of Canadians who have written petitions and called their local MPs to express their displeasure with Canada Post’s decision to end home delivery. Canada is about to become the only nation in the G7 without door-to-door mail delivery. This is unacceptable and the decision should be repealed immediately.

On July 9, Justin Trudeau called on the then-government to “immediately instruct

our public postal service to suspend the removal o f home mail delivery until following the fall election.” http://www.savecanadapost.ca/sites/default/files/PM-%20Canada%20Post%20-%20E.pdf

AND YET Canada Post contractors are STILL installing mailboxes in our neighbourhoods, right up until and including this weekend!

Let the new Minister Judy Foote and PM Trudeau know you agree that Canada Post should

RESTORE DOOR-TO-DOOR

mail service, reverse the service cuts and REMOVE the hastily imposed mailboxes. It’s not too late – call and/or write today!

Public Services Minister Judy Foote                        E-mail: judy.foote@parl.gc.ca
Phone: (709) 832-1383                                          Twitter @JudyFooteMP

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau                               E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca
Phone:            (613) 992 4211                                          Twitter: @JustinTrudeau

More information and sample letters to MPs at http://www.4door2door.ca/send_a_message

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Canada Post defies new government, continues with mailbox installations in London


Instead of listening to the government Canadians elected 19 days ago, Canada Post management is pressing ahead with the installation of self-serve mailboxes in neighbourhoods in London. Some of these sites may be installed by subcontractors over this weekend, in another rush to meet an arbitrary internal corporate deadline Monday.

Canada's new Public Services Minister, responsible for Canada Post, was sworn in three days ago. She is Newfoundland MP Judy Foote, who said on March 31 of this year:
DOOR-TO-DOOR MAIL DELIVERY CANCELLATION SHOULD BE REPEALED. The [Harper] Government is ignoring the thousands of Canadians who have written petitions and called their local MPs to express their displeasure with Canada Post’s decision to end home delivery. Canada is about to become the only nation in the G7 without door-to-door mail delivery. This is unacceptable and the decision should be repealed immediately.”
Dozens of sites in our community, including gardens like this one, are threatened this weekend by the arrogance of Canada Post management who stubbornly refuse to listen to Canadians and to the government Canadians elected.



"We are encouraging community members to be vigilant about protecting neighbourhood spaces from this corporate juggernaut, and we urge the new Public Services minister to reign in the out-of control Canada Post management." adds Wendy Goldsmith, of Londoners for Door-to-Door.

For more information please contact David Heap 519 859 3579 or Wendy Goldsmith  519 281 3978.

A list of sites where Canada Post sub-contractors may still be trying to install self-serve mailboxes this weekend, defying the new Government:


 128 Brian Ave. 
151 Geraldine Ave.
1589 Richmond St.
1576 Richmond St.
291 Windermere
1470 Corley Dr.
239 Riverside
48 Saunby ST.
382 Wharncliffe Rd
25 Essex St.
25 Oxford St W
40 Summit Ave
40 Summit adjacent to 128
299 Maurice St.
281 Maurice St
253 Riverside Dr
539 Hutton Pl
426 Fox Ave
76 Edgar
412 Lawson
461 Rippleton
305 Castlegrove Blvd
320 Castlegrove Blvd
79 Paperbirch Cres
35 Stirrup
526 Leyton
16 Ranson Dr
42 Greta Green
54 Heathcote Ave
2 Brentwood Cres
529 Middlewood Dr.
46 Longbow Rd
3 Linkgate Rd
70 Longbow
56 Hampton Cres
689 Santa Monica Rd
591 Sanitorium
1040 Mahogany Rd
530 & 540 Proudfoot Ln
1084 Mahogany Rd
25-65 & 17-65 & 55 Fiddlers Green Rd
583 Kildore Rd
579 Sherene Terr
887 Riverside Dr
110 Biscay Rd
781 North Mile Rd
407 Dolway Pl
465 Glen Cres
793 Green Ln
265 Deer Park Cir
437 Oak Park Pl
93 Tarbart
505 Proudfoot Ln
1127 Oxford St w
1087 Kingston Ave
1106 Prince George Rd
1040 St Croix Ave
28 Edgehill Rd
247 Blackacres Bld
119 Blackacres Bld
75 Crabtree Ave
1 Rexway
122 Sherwood Forest Square
555 Lawson Rd
40 Fairfax Crt
1-43- 1460 Limberlost Rd
44-59-1460 Limberlost Rd
9-41-1481 Limberlost
58-65-1481 Limberlost
148-1481 Limberlost Rd
154-162-1481 Limberlost Rd
66-92 -1481 Limberlost Rd
103-104-1481 Limberlost Rd
111-134 1481 Limberlost Rd
136-153-1481 Limberlost Rd
164 Brunswick Ave.
1123 Lawson Rd.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Save Door-to-Door campaign continues: Restore service in London!


Despite last week’s well-publicised halt to Canada Post’s service cuts, Self-Serve Mailboxes (SSMBs) are still being installed in some London neighbourhoods. Corporate managers at Canada Post continue to defy the government Canadians elected last month, and in particular Justin Trudeau’s letter calling for immediate halt to the Canada Post service cuts as of July 9 2015.

In July, London City Councillors also urged Canada Post to stop Self-Serve Mailbox (SSMB) conversions in London, but Canada Post management carried on with their reckless SSMB installations right up until after last month’s election.  Many of these hastily-installed SSMB locations are also unsafe, insecure and/ or unsightly, continuing Canada Post’s pattern of disrespect for our neighbourhoods and our City.
Insecure SSMB (main panel opens with customer's key: Send us your photos with details
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE RIGHT NOW:
  1. Send us your pictures and your stories to people4door2door@gmail.com. Tell us about unsafe or insecure SSMB installations you have seen. Give us as many details as possible about locations, so we can press the issue of safety for the public and for postal employees.
  2. Call or write your local MP and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: http://www.4door2door.ca/send_a_message). Ask them to publicly call on Canada Post to restore Door-to-Door mail delivery at least to where it was on July 9th, 2015, when Justin Trudeau wrote to the former prime minister opposing the service cuts.
  3. Call or write London Mayor Matt Brown and your City Councillor:  http://www.4door2door.ca/send_a_messageAsk then to publicly support the restoration of door-to-door mail delivery to where it was recently cut.
  4. Write to the London Free Press: http://www.lfpress.com/letters or lfp.letters@sunmedia.ca or other media, calling for the full restoration of door-to-door service which has been lost to cuts.
If you want to help in other ways (leafleting or calling, for example), please contact us at people4door2door@gmail.com .The Conservative-appointed Canada Post CEO and VPs must listen to Canadians calling for a permanent stop to SSMB conversions and the full restoration of door-to-door to the neighbourhoods that lost their service.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

UPDATED 11/4/2015 - Send us your photos and horror stories: scary, ugly and unsafe SSMBs

According to last week's announcement, Liberals demand that Canada Post halt any further SSMB conversions but the installations hurriedly continued in London's N6H and N6G. Many of these SSMB installations are unsightly, unsafe and insecure (see readers photos below).

Boxes off 301 Ramsay Rd (near the monastery) are unsafe: no sidewalk access, and boxes are on top of a slope made of loose stones...!

Another SSMB conversion fails. This mailbox user writes: My mail was soaked after the first rainfall we had.


The following story features a broken off SSMB key jammed into the user's mailbox. They write:
Someone broke off what appears to be a Key into mine, had lots of trouble trying to get it out, still not perfect. You can tell it's been jammed and good parts of whatever [are] still sticking out !


One supporter sent this photo of her local SSMBsite, where her personal key opens the whole module. She writes:
On two occasions in this first week of use I have opened my personal mailbox only to have the whole front panel of the "module" open up, thus exposing the mailboxes of my neighbours and giving me full access. I expect other users have had similar experiences.  This happened on Tuesday and on Friday and I have filed two separate complaints with Canada Post.
Clearly this is an issue of mail security.  Has any of our mail been stolen?  How would we know? Has personal information that appears on bank statements, credit card bills and the like been compromised?  Obviously, Canada Post is not protecting the integrity of the mail. 




Winter winds will only make this worse: not only will you have to walk to get your mail, you may be chasing your mail around the block. Is this the kind of excercise that Deepak Chopra thinks our seniors need?



Send your horror stories and photos of your unsightly SSMB site to: people4door2door@gmail.com 

We will post them here as soon as we can.

Monday, October 26, 2015

Londoners for Door to Door at Depot 4, opposing service cuts.


Early start at Depot 4.
Londoners for Door-to-Door
Standing at the gate to the loading dock.
This Canada Post truck stopped then waited while we were in the gates.




.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Urgent Campaign Update: Send a Message to your Local M.P. today

London is now represented by three Members of Parliament whose parties have publicly opposed the cuts to Canada Post: Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos (London North Centre), NDP MP Irene Mathyssen (London-Fanshawe), and Liberal MP Kate Young (London West).

Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau campaigned on a promise to stop the cuts to door-to-door mail delivery. These postal cuts were driven by the Conservatives, and although they remain in office for a few more days, the Liberals must make it clear to Canada Post to stop any cuts now.

At this moment, Canada Post’s community mailboxes are being installed rapidly and recklessly in neighbourhoods across London. The first conversion to the new Community Mailboxes in London is scheduled for October 26th for area codes N6G and N6H. It is imperative that the newly elected Members of Parliament in London West and London North Centre undertake immediate action or many London neighbourhoods could permanently lose this valued public service.

Here are two ways you can help save door-to-door today:
1. If you live in the London North Centre or London West electoral districts, please pick up your phone and call your new Liberal MP today (find contact into here). Voicemail messages and phone conversations will go a lot further than emails in convincing our MPs that Londoners care about their public postal service.
  • Please remind them that they have no time to lose on this important issue. CMB conversions begin this week.
  • Ask your MP to tell Prime Minister designate Justin Trudeau to immediately call Canada Post President Deepak Chopra and tell him that Canada Post needs to put a halt to this week's CMB conversions in London.
  • Tell them that it makes sense for Justin Trudeau to act before he takes office on November 4. Remind them that Trudeau has already acted upon one of his election promises (by calling US president Barack Obama to discuss his intention to pull Canada’s fighter jets out of the anti-Isis campaign) and he should do the same to save door-to-door.
2. If you cannot reach your MP by phone, you can send a direct message to Peter Fragiskatos or Kate Young by clicking on their names.  
You can find contact information for your new MPs here. It is extremely important that our elected representatives act now to save door-to-door in London. Please let them know that they have no time to lose.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

London Posties ask newly elected Liberal MPs to make good on campaign promises.

The following is a press release from CUPW Local 566 regarding the imminent conversion to CMBs in London. Newly elected Liberal MPs Peter Fragiskatos and Kate Young both participated in the Londoners for Door-to-Door town hall meetings held earlier this year, and this is their first test as our new Members of Parliament. Let's hope they are up to the challenge!

For Immediate Release: Wednesday October 21st, 2015
Kate Young, the new MP for London West and Peter Fragiskatos, the new MP for London North Centre are being called upon to ensure that they listened to their constituents during the election campaign.  
One of the key election issues in London was the removal of door to door mail, which was originally slated for Election Day, October 19 2015. The date has since changed to Monday October 26 2015.  
“There is still time for the Liberal Party to stop people from losing their home delivery,” said Dean Woronoski, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 566 in London. 
“It makes very little sense at this juncture, given the Liberal Party’s campaign promises.”
Kate Young was present at a Town Hall meeting that the Local held in June, which Ed Holder, the defeated Conservative MP, declined to attend. There, Young spoke about the Liberal Party’s support of door to door delivery and the fact that a vote for the Liberals would stop the Conservative-backed cuts.  
“Time is of the essence to ensure that Canada Post’s plan is halted for London,” said Woronoski.  
The national office of the union has contacted Justin Trudeau to request that the cuts be halted throughout Canada and a proper public review be held. 
“We urge all concerned constituents to contact their new Liberal MPs to ensure that their valued service is protected,” said Woronoski. 
For more information, please contact London Local 566: 519-672-4417
Tune into CJBK tomorrow morning, October 22nd at 7:22 AM for and interview with London Local 566 President Dean Woronoski.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

It doesn't have to be this way: your vote matters on October 19

Tomorrow, millions of Canadians will head to the polls to elect our next federal government. The public’s collective outrage toward the Conservative-mandated cuts to Canada Post has resonated from coast-to-coast and has made door-to-door mail delivery a 2015 Federal Election issue. All major parties have taken a position, and the non-profit organization Friends of Public Services has released a report card detailing how each party stacks up on the issue of door-to-door. You can read their assessment here.

We believe that opposing the cuts and restoring door-to-door is essential to providing all Canadians with the services they need and value. Canada Post is a profitable public service that has great potential for expansion to improve the quality of service for all Canadians. Of the three major parties that could form our next government, only the NDP promises to restore door-to-door. The Liberal Party has not committed to restoring this vital public service, but instead promises to 'study the situation'.

Our campaign is about saving our door-to-door mail delivery and defending our public services against private interests; the cuts to Canada Post are a step towards privatization of the services owned and operated by and for Canadians. You may also be interested in what Friends of Public Services has to say about privatization, and you can read about it here.

We at Londoners for Door-to-Door began talking to our neighbours last January, long before the election call, because we were determined to protect our communities and services from these cuts. Our commitment to defending Canada’s public postal service will continue beyond the election. No matter who forms our new government, there will be more work to do on this important issue. Please stay in touch or follow us on Twitter & Facebook and help us hold our elected officials accountable.

Please remember that in order to vote on Election Day, you are required to provide proof of address. Visit the Elections Canada website for more information, and make sure you have everything you need to vote!

Friday, October 2, 2015

CUPW Caravan tour returns to Kitchener-London for Sunday rallies


The CUPW caravan is returning to London and will be at the NDP rally with Tom Mulcair.
Please come out to greet them.


Join us! Change starts in London!
Sunday, October 4th, 12:30pm - 2:00pm
London Convention Centre
300 York St.
London, Ontario N6B 1P8
 Please also sign & share our petition:

Saving Door-to-door mail delivery is an election issue. 


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This is an election issue: SIGN OUR NEW PETITION


This week in Edmonton, Senior wins battle versus Canada Post mailbox installations
Londoners can win too, ‪take action.

Please share this message widely with your friends, family and co-workers. Let’s tell MPs Ed Holder and Susan Truppe and all of our local federal candidates: stop the cuts!


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Efforts to oppose Canada Post's SSMB (Self-Serve MailBox) implementation have continued:

On Talavera Cres. concerned residents continue to hold off SSMB's 65 days and counting.



On Magnolia, our garden grows.



Due to delays in installation of SSMBs across the city, Canada Post has postponed their October 19th 'go live' date. However citizen's concerns continue to fall on deaf ears at Canada Post.

Now it’s time to bring our message to our federal candidates in London. 

Canada Post belongs to all of us, and it is accountable to our federal government. Please sign our new petition and add your voice to the growing opposition to the Conservatives' cuts to our public postal service.

Let's tell London MPs and all of our federal candidates: the cuts must stop! Please share this message widely with your friends, family and co-workers. 



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