Mail sorting to be redirected to Regina

Cost-cutting measures employed by Canada Post are being felt all across southern Saskatchewan.

Residents wanting to send letters to Swift Current should note that mail sorting will be redirected this summer from Swift Current, Yorkton and Moose Jaw to Regina. So when mailing a letter to Swift Current, it will go to Regina and be sorted from there.

“We need to try to cut costs because our business is changing considerably,” said Eugene Knapik, a spokesperson for Canada Post. “The amount of letter mail that we have in our system is considerably less than it was just a few years ago, and we need to try to streamline our operations and make it more cost effective and efficient.”

He noted the postal service has a mandate to  maintain solid service as part of their five-point plan.

Canada Post’s five-point action plan was introduced in December 2013 and aims to return the Crown corporation to financial stability by 2019.

The introduction of community mailboxes, an increase in mail pricing, and an increase in the number of franchises across the country are aimed at reducing inefficiency at Canada Post. Streamlining operations with the use of better technology, and consolidating the processing of mail at regional centres as well is expected to add between $700 and $900 million per year to the postal services bottom line.

The changes will affect the sorting process for local mail at Swift Current effective July 21.

But Knapik says despite the change in sorting, mail delivery will not be slowed down.

“We have technology in Regina that can sort mail faster than we can in Swift Current and we can still deliver the mail at the same time, so there is no impact to customers,” said Knapik.

Knapik added that none of the full-time or part-time employees at Swift Current will lose their job.

“They all have job security. There may be over time some position reductions by attrition,” he said. “But there are no layoffs.”

Recently the Crown corporation announced that home delivery would be phased out and superboxes will be introduced across the country. The cost to mail a letter under 30 grams in Canada has also increased. The cost for a regular stamp rose from 63 cents to $1. If purchased in a pack, the cost of stamps is now 85 cents.

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