Getting your mail delivered right to your doorstep will soon be a thing of the past.
Canada Post made it official on Thursday, revealing in a press release that door-to-door mail delivery is going away, and the rollout has already begun. The Crown corporation confirmed the first wave of communities across the country that will transition to community mailboxes, and multiple Quebec locations are among them.
The move is part of a sweeping national overhaul that will eventually affect close to four million Canadian addresses still receiving mail at the door. Montreal is in the mix too, though its turn hasn’t been scheduled yet.
The three Quebec areas affected are:
- Sept-Îles (approximately 7,000 addresses) — postal codes G4R and G4S
- La Prairie and Candiac (approximately 6,000 addresses) — postal code J5R
The other 10 communities in the first wave span the country and include parts of Ottawa, Winnipeg, and North and West Vancouver. Conversions are expected to begin before the end of 2026 and into early 2027.
The financial reality behind the decision is hard to ignore. According to Ottawa, Canada Post is losing roughly $10 million per day. A $1 billion injection in early 2025 wasn’t enough to stabilize things, and the corporation has accumulated more than $5 billion in losses since 2018. Government transformation minister Joël Lightbound flagged the situation as an “existential crisis” back in September.
For residents in affected areas, the transition typically takes several months. Canada Post says it will keep people informed at each stage and work with communities to determine where new boxes will be placed.
It’s worth noting that about three quarters of Canadian addresses already receive mail through a centralized delivery method, and more than 80% of parcels go directly into individual compartments in community mailboxes. For oversized packages or items requiring a signature, home delivery or post office pickup will still be available.