Canada Post to stop door-to-door delivery, postage rates to raise as well.

[ronthecivil]

Parcel volumes are up close to 30% since this time last year. December 9th a record was set within CP for the most parcels delivered in 1 day....1.2 million.

Hey, you don't see me advocating selling their shares in purator or whatever delivery company they own.

Just no reason to be in an unprofitable mail business. Especially in urban areas. I can see it as a service for rurual people where private mail my be too much.

[ronthecivil]

Yes, we all know that telegraph operations made 10x and then they suddenly went under because of increased spending by management.

Totally analgous situation.

But I love how you are cheerleading more unemployment. I hope you live long enough to reap the whirlwind.

I am cheerleading the elimination of wasteful goverment entities.

Fairly certain people will still get mail even if the goverment stops delivering it and someone will just have an analogous job in the private sector.

If it's the private sector than it doesn't hurt John Q taxpayer if it turns into a money loosing operation.

[ronthecivil]

Do you think the dues holiday and the federal government skimming $30 billion from federal public servant pension funds might be a part of the $6 billion shortfall?

If that's the case they should return what they skimmed. No more, no less.

[johngould21]

ronthecivil, its called a service to the people of Canada. Get rid of all the mini-me managers, you'll see an increase in productivity and profit. This Country that Harper is controlling is turning into a US of A faster than he**. Funny how this announce this when Parliament closes for the Christmas holidays. Typical Harper and how the Liberals running our Province. More middle class jobs going, going, gone!

[ronthecivil]

ronthecivil, its called a service to the people of Canada. Get rid of all the mini-me managers, you'll see an increase in productivity and profit. This Country that Harper is controlling is turning into a US of A faster than he**. Funny how this announce this when Parliament closes for the Christmas holidays. Typical Harper and how the Liberals running our Province. More middle class jobs going, going, gone!

It's a service I don't want, need, or have any desire to subsidise. It's obsolete.

At my place, where I get mail to my door, the number of letters I get for the old owner who can't figure out to change their address outnumbers my own 20-1. Obviously they don't care about any of that mail (if they came by I would give it to them) and clearly I get very little, if any, mail.

If someone wants to send me door to door mail, then they should pay the cost of it.

If someone wants to bomb my front door with junk mail, then they shouldn't need the feds to subsidise it.

Keep in mind, if this cut in "service" irks you just wait a decade or two ( or earlier depending on how the world economy goes and how fooling Canadians continue to be kicking the can down the road) when the hard decisions about how and what to fund come slamming home!

[Gurn]

"If that's the case they should return what they skimmed. No more, no less. "

And what about the interest that would have been earned? Strange how often the government changes the rules, gets a negative outcome and then blames the organization that they messed up.

[Tre Mac]

Thats what they get for not hiring me out of high school. Seriously though what a great job this would be for people fresh out of high school and saving for college.

[ronthecivil]

"If that's the case they should return what they skimmed. No more, no less. "

And what about the interest that would have been earned? Strange how often the government changes the rules, gets a negative outcome and then blames the organization that they messed up.

Well, amount skimmed + average annual rate of return of the pension fund would be fair IMHO as well.

So long as the final number is equal to what the contributions of the workers plus average return as what is drawn from then it would be fine. If there's still a shortfall after that sell off stuff to make it up as best possible but if you're still a little short then at least you tried to get them as much as you could without going after taxpayers (as they are far from the only people that have this to look forward to).

[johngould21]

When all the middle class jobs are gone, in the near future, you'll be asking that question. Like I said, get rid of the mini-me managers, things will look after one another. Its the same in the health care industry, Hydro, ICBC, and BC Ferries. All of these publicly funded corps are too top ended in management positions.

I just talked to my letter carrier, he complains all the time about the junk mail that he has to lug around. Especially around Christmas. They aren't the problem, its Canada Post.

[D-Money]

As soon as companies started charging for paper bills, the writing was on the wall.

That is a fairly recent phenomenon, so pointing to success and profits 5 years ago is meaningless.

Also, pointing to former success in a pension plan is also sketchy. Many of them took a hit in the financial collapse. Also, projections are based on expected work force, so if there is a workforce reduction, that changes everything.

[MadMonk]

Do you think the dues holiday and the federal government skimming $30 billion from federal public servant pension funds might be a part of the $6 billion shortfall?

Canada post operates its own pension plan, and it is separate form the federal pension fund.

Certainly the dues holiday had an impact, but looking at the financial statements from the past few years, the issue is largely due to the fact that the interest rate has been low over the past few years, meaning that their previous estimation of future obligation is drastically underestimated.

I don't like the current government either, but I think at some point you have to realize that changes in market can rapidly screw up a company. Just look at Blackberry.

[ronthecivil]

When all the middle class jobs are gone, in the near future, you'll be asking that question. Like I said, get rid of the mini-me managers, things will look after one another. Its the same in the health care industry, Hydro, ICBC, and BC Ferries. All of these publicly funded corps are too top ended in management positions.

I just talked to my letter carrier, he complains all the time about the junk mail that he has to lug around. Especially around Christmas. They aren't the problem, its Canada Post.

Then privatise them and companies that run more effeciently will end up running the show at the end.

[ronthecivil]

As soon as companies started charging for paper bills, the writing was on the wall.

That is a fairly recent phenomenon, so pointing to success and profits 5 years ago is meaningless.

Also, pointing to former success in a pension plan is also sketchy. Many of them took a hit in the financial collapse. Also, projections are based on expected work force, so if there is a workforce reduction, that changes everything.

While I have no issues with the goverment putting together a pension plan that helps get a better return for their retirement the way they should be run is like a mutual fund where you get out what you put in and as you do withdrawls the amount you get is based on the value of each unit that you own that you are withdrawing.

Then we wouldn't have pension shortfalls no matter what the economic condition.

If the public sector unions don't think this is a good idea and raise it to "good faith negotiations not being honoured" I would have no problem whatsoever with "your alternitive is that we default and you get nothing".

[D-Money]

While I have no issues with the goverment putting together a pension plan that helps get a better return for their retirement the way they should be run is like a mutual fund where you get out what you put in and as you do withdrawls the amount you get is based on the value of each unit that you own that you are withdrawing.

Then we wouldn't have pension shortfalls no matter what the economic condition.

If the public sector unions don't think this is a good idea and raise it to "good faith negotiations not being honoured" I would have no problem whatsoever with "your alternitive is that we default and you get nothing".

You can't just flip a switch, when the money is still there. Many public sector employees worked for lower wages for decades because of the pension benefits. Better to be proactive. Raise some requirements, etc. on a going-forward basis.

Pension funds - even public sector ones - don't belong to the government. That's why they keep trying to "borrow" from them, knowing that if times are tough the general public will support screwing them over, simply because 'they don't have a good pension either'.

[Common sense]

ronthecivil, its called a service to the people of Canada. Get rid of all the mini-me managers, you'll see an increase in productivity and profit. This Country that Harper is controlling is turning into a US of A faster than he**. Funny how this announce this when Parliament closes for the Christmas holidays. Typical Harper and how the Liberals running our Province. More middle class jobs going, going, gone!

You also realize laying off service sector employees means they will also lay off middle managers who have no one to manage, right?

Or is your blind hatred of Harper and the BCLibs getting in the way of sound reason?

[Jimayo]

To all of my brothers and sisters, it is important that you read this and understand where Harper et al are heading, and what they have planned for our future.

Many years back, when we lost our severance pay, I told my wife that it was the beginning of the road to privatization. I told my brothers and sisters at work that the next thing to go was our sick time. They ridiculed me, scoffing that 'they can't touch our sick time'. I was right. My reasoning was this: To privatize Canada Post, you need to do several things, not in any order, but all of these must be done to court private enterprise. First, you need to eliminate all long-term liabilities; those being payments that Canada Post is on the hook for either now or later. The four biggies are (were) severance pay, compensatory time being banked for years, sick time, and of course pension obligations. (Is the light coming on now?). The next step is renewal of your infrastructure. Can you say new vehicles, new plants, new equipment? Next step: Increase productivity. At Canada Post that means fewer people, longer routes. How is that one coming along? The last step is to cripple and hobble the workers' representative and bargaining agent. That is known as CUPW. CUPW is about to lose a good share of its membership. On other fronts, its finances are being attacked by a private member's bill and by the government itself. The workers are having their bargaining rights stripped away and their safety compromised by changes to the Labor Code. Now go to every other day delivery and you eradicate most of CUPWs resources and cut their dues receipts almost in half. (Trust me. I'm not giving them any ideas. They are SO far ahead of us on this.) One final step to go: Demonize Canada Post in the eyes of Canadians. Convince them that Canada Post is a dead weight around their necks. It doesn't have to be true, just keep telling them that it is. Once the public buys into this, then all steps have been completed. Canada Post is now ready for the auction block for the rich to snap up at a steal. How close to that day do you think we are? Follow the chain of events thus far.

[Common sense]

Heh. At least Harper et al have a plan to get rid of a system that is bleeding out money. What's CUPW and the union bigwigs doing other than trying to siphon more money into an aging workforce, in an antiquated industry?

[johngould21]

Blind hatred of Harper and the BC Liberals???? Any working person in this country should be concerned with his/their policies. All of their announcements come on the heals of holiday shutdowns, weekends, or the closure of Parliament. In BC's case, when was the last sitting of the house? These governments have majorities so why should they give a crap if their constituents don't have a voice? Kenney's obvious concern of the poor says a lot about the people in that government. How many millions have been spent on the study to ram the pipelines down our throats? Scary times for the middle class. No to mention the Senate scandal. Who me???

[johngould21]

Now Deepak Chopra is saying seniors want the exercise to pick up their own mail. Another Conservative hack appointee, making the news, is he related to Jason Kenney?

[Jimayo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLAsztHs0Sw

I particularly enjoy the part where he grills about why the execs(like the departement head himself) are getting bonuses if things are so bad.