Who are we? The Canadian Union of Postal Workers. We are also your friendly neighborhood Letter Carriers, your friends, and your eyes and ears on the street, keeping the neighborhood safe. We are a public service.
Winnipeg’s Church Depot is set to fully convert to Community Mailboxes, ending door-to-door delivery for that neighborhood on October 19, 2026, pushed back from September 21, 2026. The postal codes affected are R3E, R2W, and R3H. This is only the beginning. The rest of the Winnipeg will be converted over the next few years.
What do these changes mean? Your mail and parcels will be delivered to a Community Mailbox, not at your door step. This will have many impacts:
- Senior and differently abled people will lose independence. Do you have mobility issues? Do you struggle with dexterity and have trouble opening locks with small keys? The Accommodation program is available but it is not well advertised and mail will only be delivered to your doorstep once a week. If you are waiting on an important notice from your doctor, you might miss your appointment. Do you ask your carrier to take outgoing mail because your Street Letter Mailbox or Community mailbox is too far or inaccessible? If it is an important bill payment, it may be late.
- Snow and ice. We have experienced how slowly the streets and sidewalks are cleared after winter storms, if they are cleared at all. These sites become snow covered and icy with a potential to become hazardous and dangerous for those not steady on their feet. They are cleared by contractors, but only 2 feet of the front are cleared and not the area surrounding it.
- Theft and vandalism. Community Mail box sites are targets for theft and vandalism. Porch Pirates are witnessed by home owners and neighbors, and are often recorded on doorbell cams or security cameras. These sites are not monitored, not well lit, and hold more more mail and parcels than a single house. Theft will increase around the holidays when we send cards and gifts to our loved ones. If these boxes are broken into and the doors are not securely closed, Carriers cannot deliver your mail. It will be held at Church Depot until the Community Mailbox is fixed, which takes time. This means cheques, letters from your doctor, and bills will not be delivered for some time.
- Replacement Keys. If you have misplaced your keys or an old tenant did not hand them over to the landlord, there is a replacement fee of ~$25. This can be too high of a cost for someone on a fixed subsidized income. People should not have to pay for a public service when grocery and gas prices have sky rocketed. Key replacement also takes time. You will not have access to your mail, but it will continue to be delivered to the Community Mailbox, in turn, making your full mailbox a target for theft.
- 25-30% job cuts. These are good Canadian jobs at stake as well as a public service that Canadians have relied on for over 150 years. Postal workers are also members of the community that you live in, they are your neighbors’ jobs and livelihood on the line.
We stopped CMB conversion in 2015. The Public has the power to do this again. Your voices will make an impact.
You will have the opportunity to speak about Community Mailboxes with 3 NDP politicians:
Tracy Schmidt – The MLA for Rossmere, the current Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning, as well as a former Postal Worker
Avi Lewis – The newly elected NDP Leader
Leah Gazan – The MP of Winnipeg Centre, representing the members that will be directly impacted by the Community Mailbox Conversion in Winnipeg
Please join us on May 11th, voice your concerns, and stop these cuts!
If you would like to read more about the service cuts being made and find out how you will be directly impacted, visit https://www.cupw.ca/en/campaigns-and-issues/hands-my-post-office
May 11, 2026
Doors open: 6:30 pm
Event starts: 7:00 pm
Sinclair Park Community Centre 490 Sinclair St