Those of us working for businesses reliant on postal service have been dreading and planning for a strike for weeks.
It may be a new world, communications- wise, but the mail continues to be crucial and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
The internet has certainly affected Canada Post on several fronts and I admit to firing off snappy e-mails at will instead of writing beautifully penned letters.
That being said, there is always something in my mailbox, at least four days a week: bills, birthday cards, cheques (far too rarely), missives from politicians, coupons, information from the bank, you name it.
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Once in a while, there’s a flat box from Amazon containing a book (those days, I do a little dance on the step). Occasionally, there’s something lovely – soft leather gloves, a beautiful scarf – that a friend has sent for a special occasion.
You can’t send a scarf over the internet. You can use a courier company to deliver such gifts, at least in urban centres. Couriering a book or a cheque to people in rural communities is not as easy.
It’s also harder to getThe Western Producerout there, so please take my bias into account. We’ve been working hard to inform all of our readers about alternative ways to receive the paper, and figuring out how to get theWPout to rural communities should there be a full-scale strike.
Using the mail is still the best way to deliver our product. The same goes for other publications, some of which could be forced to stop publishing temporarily should a strike be protracted.
I take no side on Canada Post versus the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. Somehow, the crown corporation does have to figure out how to continue delivering mail.
It’s ridiculous to consider not having a national mail service, at least at this point in the developing new world of communications. Rural communities, particularly, would really struggle.
Those who sort, transport and deliver the mail must also enjoy quality of life and as much certainty as can be mustered in this rapidly changing business world.
I trust brilliant minds will prevail (perhaps have prevailed, by the time you read this), and bring about a workable model that also considers the future of postal workers.
We’re counting on it.
