Canada Post no longer raising flag to indicate mail in rural areas

Canada Post no longer uses flags to indicate delivery of mail in rural areas
For decades, residents of rural eastern Ontario could tell when they had received mail by the flag on their mailbox. But now they have been told that postal workers will no longer raise the flag because that was never intended.

“I don’t know if they’re trying to save time or money, but it’s not in the best interest of the employees or the company,” says David Carrier.

Carrier has received a letter from Canada Post stating that postal workers will no longer raise the flag when delivering mail.

He added:
“I find it very strange that Canada Post, when it is facing financial difficulties, is asking for a pay raise and trying to capture more market share, while providing less service and reducing convenience for its residents.”

A resident of Summerstown, Ontario, also received a handwritten note from a postal worker saying they were no longer allowed to raise the flag.

The note read:
“Sorry, please check your mailbox regularly.”

“The purpose of the red flag on rural mailboxes is to allow customers to notify the worker that there is an outgoing letter waiting to be delivered. This flag is not intended to notify the worker that a letter has arrived. We understand that some workers do this out of courtesy, but it is not part of the official letter delivery process,” Canada Post said in a statement.

Carrier says most people take their outgoing mail directly to the post office, and the decision to stop something that has been done for decades doesn't make sense.

"My driveway is only 150 feet long, so it's not a big deal for me. But a lot of people here have half-mile driveways. They look, the flag's not up, so they don't go. A lot of these people are elderly and it's hard for them to go to the mailbox for no reason," he added.

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