As Canada Post continues to roll out community mailboxes to more and more urban areas, officials in Guelph want the city to have a say in their placement.
It’s a battle that hasn’t gone well for the City of Hamilton, which lost a legal challenge seeking similar powers.
Still, councillors in Guelph recently agreed to write a letter to Canada Post asking to be involved in mailbox location decisions.
Coun. Leanne Piper, who introduced the idea, says she has concerns about walkability and accessibility.
“We have areas that don’t have public parks … that can accommodate mailboxes. What are we going to do in those neighbourhoods?” she said in an interview.
“How far are people going to have to walk?”
Guelph resident Kathy McCalum has been to Hamilton, where she said she was surprised by how unobtrusive they were.
“They blended in more than I thought,” she said.
Her friend Mary MacLoed isn’t so sure they’ll be a welcome addition to Guelph’s streetscape – particularly in the downtown.
“They’re going to be very close to the road,” she said.
“They’re going to almost infringe on people’s properties.”
Canada Post has yet to officially announce plans to expand its community mailbox fleet in Guelph.
