June 5, 2014 | In: Opinion

Why Canada Post Should Raise Its Prices Even Further

If you read the title of this post in horror, then let me ask you a question. How much would you expect to get paid for doing the following:

  • Physically picking a mail from a rural place in Canada. Of course, there’s a huge possibility that that mail is nothing more than a useless ad, but that’s a different story.
  • Taking that mail to the central location that is nearest to the rural place.

  • Flying to the most remote province in Canada – think Nunavut.

  • Going to the most remote rural area in Nunavut when it’s -50 degrees outside (excluding windchill).

  • Taking that mail and placing it in the mailbox of someone, or perhaps delivering that mail in person to that someone, at the risk of getting bitten by ferocious dogs who weren’t properly fed for days or getting shot by an angry lunatic.

  • Returning home, which maybe somewhere near Cape Spear.

If you can do all the above for 85 cents (CAD), then you should work for Canada Post, because they will do all this for 85 cents, and that’s after they raised their prices from 65 cents.

This is not logical and it doesn’t make sense and it shouldn’t be this way.

Maybe 85 cents was OK when there were only 5 places to Canada to deliver to (of course, assuming that these places were all in a 100 meter radius), but now, it just doesn’t make any sense. Nobody in their right mind should do the above for less than $500, and that’s after deducting the transportation. Of course, I’m not saying that Canada Post should do this for $500, because of the volume of mail they’re handling to and from any area, but I’m just saying that 85 cents is just too cheap.

I think Canada post should at least quintuple their basic rates. In other words, it’ll be $5 (including taxes) to send a mail. This will ensure that we have less junk mail circulating (not everyone will be willing to pay $5 to send junk) and will increase the efficiency and ensure future profitability of the company (currently Canada Post is losing money).

Unfortunately, I’m sure that the Canadian public will strongly oppose any such move, but, I have a question for those opposing such a substantial rate hike, would you be able to build a profitable mail company (if you had the money) that can deliver mail from Canada’s Southeast to Canada’s Northwest for 85 cents? Heck, would you be able to do it for $5? If you can’t, then please support this rate hike or keep your mouth shut when the government takes your tax money to support Canada Post, because that’s what will probably happen eventually.

This article (as well as all other articles on this website) is an intellectual property and copyright of Fadi El-Eter and can only appear on fadi.el-eter.com.

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