Dear Editor:
Our post offices can be so much more then what currently are. These are some of the service expansion ideas that the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are lobbying for in this upcoming federal election.
We need support from the Community and if they support service expansion through Canada Post everyone should be reaching out to their federal candidates and ask them their position on the expansion ideas below we are trying to provide rural Canadians.
A Canada-wide network of electric charging stations at all post offices, this will boost electric vehicle sales and travel throughout Canada. Many with electric vehicles are fearful of traveling great distances due to the fear they don’t know where they can get their next charge. The boost in tourism and stopping at a post office to charge means many additional services could be provided at our post offices like information on tourism, fishing and hunting licenses.
Our post offices could fill the void in a rural Canada to provide much needed banking options, we could become a cell phone provider, house the servers for broadband internet and even become a broadband internet provider.
Other additional services could be seniors, youth, Aboriginal drop in centres, offering information on local, provincial and federal resources, internet cafe to assist seniors who don’t have or know how to use a computer so they can use the services they need or order products online. Or even use them as cooling stations for those without AC during heat waves.
Our post offices can be a leader in climate change by retro fitting all post offices with solar panels and green space outside our post office for the community to enjoy. Offer the parking lots on weekends for farmers markets.
All these recommendations are incorporated within the Way Forward Report on Canada Post that we are hoping the government will implement over the next four-year mandate. Let’s not let this Way Forward recommendation become another report that government doesn’t act on.
Our post offices can become so much more for rural Canadians who are extremely under serviced. It’s time to provide expanding of services to rural Canadians through our post offices.
Derek Richmond,
Ontario region coordinator,
Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Scarborough