Canada Post community mailboxes worry Halifax-area residents

Some people in the Halifax Regional Municipality are concerned about where new mailboxes are popping up around the cityas Canada Post shifts from door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes.

More than 13,000 households in Halifax and Bedford made the switchtoday.

"Someone trying to get into this box, sooner or later, is going to be injured by a car," said Christine Reynolds, speaking about a new mailbox near her Halifax apartment building.

The 48 individual mailboxes face a road with no sidewalk and "no parking" signs on either side. Reynolds said traffic speeds by during rush hour.

"I would like to see this moved," she said.

The new community mailbox was already moved from its first location on Saturday, which Reynolds complained about to Canada Post.She said the first location was on a hairpin turn, but the second location makes her just as concerned about her neighbours' safety.

Long process to pick locations

Canada Post said choosing mailbox locations has been a lengthy process.The company says it spent the last year surveying residents, choosing locations that are safe and accessible and knocking on doors of people adjacent to the new mailboxes.

"These boxes have been around for a long time," said Jon Hamilton, spokesmanfor Canada Post.

"We've been using the same safety guidelines for three decades installing these, and working with the municipality as well."

Hamilton invited people with concerns to phone Canada Post. He said some people in Halifax received weekly delivery, and that individual adjustments can be made, such as people with limited mobility who require boxes to be at a certain height.

"The door doesn't close once we've made the conversation," he said.

The president of the local chapter of Canadian Union of Postal Workers said the latest phase to convert to community mailboxes impacted 55 full-time positions.He said 17 full-time jobs were eliminatedin Bedford and Sackville last fall.

"They're in a very mad rush to put these in," said Tony Rogers, who represents 700 workers.He said the federal election is speeding up the process.

"Canada Post is almost in a slash-and-burn situation whereas if you can put up as many of these things possible prior to an election, even if another party decides to reverse the process, it's going to be much harder to do that when you have these boxes in place."

Property devaluation?

Peter Gibbs of Dartmouth said he was surprised to find a cement mailbox foundation in front of his homethree weeks ago.

He said it's 1.5 metresinside his property line; hejoked he now considers himself to be owner of a sixteen-box mailbox.

"I think it devalues the property," he said.

Gibbs said he'd like the new community mailbox removedand said he's not afraid to take a jackhammer to the concrete base, as Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre did last week.Coderre was protesting what he considered to be a lack of consultation with the city.

"It shouldn't be there, because nobody asked me," said Gibbs.