Dear Mr. Ettinger,

​Our national postal service plays an important role in the lives of everyone in Canada. It’s an essential service that delivers vital information and resources to people and communities across the cou​​ntry.

​Canada Post’s decision to replace door-to-door mail delivery with community mailboxes creates significant risks for people with disabilities. Left unaddressed, these risks could exacerbate existing barriers and create entirely new ones. The decision to end home delivery must acknowledge the realities and needs of people with disabilities and ensure we continue receiving our mail independently and safely.

​I write to you in both a professional and personal capacity. I’m a person with a disability and wheelchair user. I’ve worked for decades to remove barriers to inclusion in public systems, including in senior leadership roles at Canada Post and the Government of Canada. I’m now March of Dimes Canada’s (MODC’s) Chief Accessibility Officer. 

​As Director of Accessibility at Canada Post, I led work to identify and address accessibility barriers affecting customers and employees. I later served as a Director General at the Canadian Human Rights Commission, supporting compliance with federal human rights and accessibility obligations. These roles gave me a clear understanding of Canada Post’s mandate, its operating environment, and its responsibilities to accessibility as a Crown corporation.

​For many people with limited mobility, chronic health conditions, low vision, or cognitive disabilities, community mailboxes aren’t a viable option. Many sites are physically inaccessible, poorly maintained, or unsafe. This is especially true in winter across most of Canada. People with disabilities living in rural and remote communities face even greater challenges, including the requirement to travel long distances to community mailboxes with either limited or no reliable public transportation options.

​While we accept modernization of mail delivery is inevitable, this must not take place without first identifying and addressing the needs of people with disabilities. This isn’t optional and can’t be an afterthought. It must be at the forefront of this process and include substantial and meaningful collaboration with the disability community.

​We welcome Canada Post’s proactive outreach to MODC and other community organizations on this matter and we’re keen to participate in this process. 

​In anticipation of this important work, we urge Canada Post and the federal government to take the following steps before proceeding any further with the planned phaseout of home mail delivery:

• Produce and publish an accessibility impact assessment.

• Bring people with disabilities, community organizations, and experts in accessible design to the table as full partners in planning and decision-making, beyond consultations.

• Address present concerns about barriers to accessing Canada Post’s existing Delivery Accommodation Program, including concerns related to eligibility and the requirement to prove a disability.

• Guarantee door-to-door delivery as a protected service for people with disabilities with clear eligibility criteria and a simple application process.

• Require accessible-by-design for all community mailbox sites and commit to door-to-door delivery where access can’t be achieved.

• Recognize and address the unique challenges experienced by people with disabilities in rural, remote, and northern communities — including limits to public transportation, long distances between and within communities, and inadequate supporting infrastructure.

• Publish clear accountability measures and establish mechanisms for addressing accessibility concerns and failures.

​A modernized Canada Post is in everyone’s best interest. Whatever form mail delivery takes in the future, it must remain equitable, inclusive, and accessible to all.

​We look forward to continuing this conversation and working with you and everyone at Canada Post to make sure the future of mail delivery in Canada is strong.

​Sincerely,

Jeff Willbond
Chief Accessibility Officer
March of Dimes Canada​​