Update:
We've updated the report, which details the property damage that has resulted as drivers pulling up to get their mail are destroying the grass verge near the mailboxes as their are no roadside curbs in our community.
We have also started more aggressive campaigning to get attention for a major safety issue for student/vehicle issues due to a mailbox blocking the view of a major pedestrian pathway for both drivers and students (1600 population) and a complete lack of channels at Canada Post to address the issue.
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Beaverbrook (Kanata) was one of the first communities to be retrofitted with community mailboxes from existing door to door delivery, which was completed in Oct 2014.
Canada Post announced a rollout plan which included community consultation and that they would strive to provide safe and accessible mailboxes that would be sidewalk accessible, near lighting and avoid encroaching on private property – if possible.
As the process unfolded, Canada Post’s behavior when dealing with mailboxes on city property vs. condominium corporation private land was very different.
In the case of condominiums within the community, Canada Post had to consult directly with the condominium associations and get approval for each location as this is private land. Feedback from condo owners is they were happy with the result.
In the case of publically (City) owned land in the rest of the community, with the exception of some early meetings with the Kanata Beaverbrook Community Association (KBCA) and our City Councillor, Canada Post avoided meeting with the KBCA and went directly to residents in the immediate vicinity of proposed mailbox locations.
Those residents were directly contacted by letter and provided a phone number with which they could raise a service ticket on safety or other issues with a proposed mailbox location. What unfolded is that mailboxes were moved due to genuine safety issues and to complaints. In many cases the change in location was made without notifying residents close the final location. A number of residents complained that they had service tickets with Canada Post, which they never followed through on.
Communication with Canada Post, whether to ask for information or to provide input or feedback on mailbox locations was, and continues to be, almost impossible. There are no phone numbers or email addresses on the Canada Post site for other than specific issues that Canada Post is willing to deal with.
Once the installations were complete, we did a survey of the installations, the net result is that of an observed 32 post boxes of which 1 has substantial pedestrian/vehicle safety issues, 9 are unnecessarily immediately opposite driveways, plus a number of installations present wheelchair accessibility issues and potential hazards in winter months due to relatively short, steep ramps and very shallow flat areas immediately in front of the mailboxes.
In conclusion, a case of superficial consultation, with an unnecessarily flawed outcome.
The full report can be accessed here: KBCA Canada Post Report Card
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