A Caveat on Cluster Mailboxes for Canada

Centralized Mail Delivery Not a Viable Cost-Saving Alternative to Residential Delivery

For as long as we have been tracking news reports of mail-identity theft, Canada has had community mailbox break-ins. Now, Canada Post is promising to end residential mailbox delivery in favor of centralized mailbox delivery in order to save costs.

I wonder how much will really be saved, with thieves targeting these cluster mailbox units. Not only will Canadian residents have the inconvenience of having to retrieved their mail at a centralized location, but these mailboxes often will be out of commission due to frequent break-ins.

The problem is that thieves target these cluster mailboxes more so than residential mailboxes because they house multiple people’s mail and because homeowners trust them with sending sensitive mail more often. They also feature low quality locks that are easy to pry open in a matter of seconds with a screwdriver or crowbar.

As thieves continue to pry open these mailboxes, the costs for Canada Post will continue to mount. In the end, I don’t see how this will save costs for the Canadian government.