After only two months, Canada Post is suspending the distribution of the Publisac at the doors of Montreal residents.
Canada Post blames the decision to “temporarily halt” distribution of “this particular product” on health and safety concerns among its letter carriers and postal workers who deliver door-to-door mail.
In an e-mail response to a request for The PressCanada Post writes: “Following concerns about this particular product [le Publisac], we have decided to temporarily halt its delivery to areas of Montreal where it was distributed while we conduct a health and safety review. »
“Canada Post has a responsibility to make the delivery and to ensure that its staff members, who visit hundreds of addresses each day, can deliver all items safely,” the media relations office said. of the state corporation.
According to the recent recriminations of the union leadership of postal workers in the Montreal region, since the start of its distribution by Canada Post last October, the addition of the Publisac, a collection of bagged advertising documents, in the workload letter carriers are the cause of almost half of work accidents and mail delivery delays reported in Montreal post offices.
In his email response to The PressCanada Post confirms at most that “a review process is underway, and [qu’elle a] had discussions with the client, TC Transcontinental”.
This Montreal printing and packaging company, which is worth $1.34 billion on the stock market, is the promoter and supplier of the Publisac.
Controversial cast
Remember that from the beginning of the distribution of the Publisac by Canada Post on the island of Montreal, last October, Mayor Valérie Plante had strongly criticized this decision of the Crown corporation during a press meeting.
According to Mme Plante, Canada Post was thus ignoring a new municipal by-law in Montreal which provides, as of May 2023, to restrict the distribution of the Publisac at the doors of residents who have indicated their desire to receive it with, in particular, a sticker affixed to their mailbox.
Since its adoption in April 2022, this regulation on the distribution of the Publisac in Montreal has obtained the support of the 85 municipalities of the Metropolitan Community of Montreal (CMM).
This support from the CMM was expressed in particular by sending a request for a moratorium addressed to the federal government, which is responsible for the senior management and administration of the Canada Post Corporation (Canada Post).
In addition, the controversy surrounding the unsolicited door-to-door distribution of the Publisac stems from an initial ban decided by the City of Mirabel in October 2019.
Quickly challenged in court by the company TC Transcontinental, this regulatory decision by Mirabel was nevertheless deemed legitimate by the Superior Court in April 2022.