Council hears CUPW call for postal banking, EVs, & wellness


ADELAIDE-METCALFE - A presentation about postal banking and Canada Post service expansion piqued the interest of councillors, but not enough to garner official support during a recent council Twp. council meeting.

Derek Richmond, Ontario Region Coordinator for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), was on-hand to share the union’s vision for the future of postal services in rural communities. He suggests that post office locations could become community hubs in rural centres, complete with drop-in resources for youth and seniors, access to the internet, tourist information, hunting and fishing licenses, and other government services. Postal carriers could provide wellness checks on seniors.


Postal banking is a large part of his vision. As national banks focus on digital services and shutter unprofitable locations - often in rural communities - CUPW argues that reinstating a postal banking system would benefit those in rural communities. For farmers, who are often busy, or seniors, who may be less mobile, banking at a nearby Canada Post may save time and effort. Canada Post provided postal banking until 1968; postal banking systems exist in other countries including France, Italy, Germany, Brazil, and New Zealand.

“We have to look at innovative ways to move forward,” said Richmond. His is a green vision, including the gradual replacement of current delivery vehicles with electric vehicles. He suggested that Canada Post locations could host a country-wide network of vehicle charging stations for public use, facilitating the transition from gas-powered cars to electric.

Despite the ambitious ideas, the township council chose to file the resolution during a Tuesday, 6 April 2021 meeting.

“I’m not sure that our municipality is big enough that it wouldn’t be covered off by an adjacent municipality, but we should definitely keep it on our radar,” suggested councillor Sue Clarke. Still, the presentation hit home for Mayor Kurtis Smith, who noted that Kerwood once had both a TD Bank, and a Canada Post location (which was located in a home); but now has neither.

McKinley Leonard-Scott, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Middlesex Banner