Undermining trust

Canada Post insists it is phasing out home delivery of mail in an upfront way — consulting with communities, listening to concerns and responding in a respectful manner. But that claim is badly undercut by the agency’s stubborn refusal to disclose any information related to mail delivery complaints.

The public is left to wonder: if Canada Post won’t share criticism of its service, why should its supposed openness be trusted regarding controversial new super mailboxes?

Indeed, on witnessing mounting and angry protests over planned installation of these mailboxes on residential lawns in cities such as Hamilton, it’s hard to have much faith in the post office’s alleged respect for homeowners.

Canada Post officials insist they’re being forthright about ending home delivery and about the disruption this entails. But a policy of secrecy regarding complaints offers poor evidence of transparency in other dealings with the public.

As reported by the Star’s Vanessa Lu, this newspaper has filed two separate requests under the federal Access to Information Act seeking data on complaints received in 2014. That would cover mail delivery issues, such as ice storm-related loss of service in Toronto and the deliberate trashing of election leaflets in Brampton last fall. It would also capture complaints received last year regarding the end of home delivery.

Canada Post is refusing to honour these requests, arguing that complaints from the public could involve trade secrets or other technical, financial or commercially sensitive information. As a result, people’s grievances need to be kept under wraps. The Crown corporation further argues that disclosing complaints could “prejudice” its competitive position. This is utter nonsense. Other agencies, such as the Toronto Transit Commission and Via Rail, manage to provide information on complaints. Evidently, they’re prepared to risk revealing “trade secrets.” As for worry about the competition, Canada Post has a monopoly on mail delivery in this country. And it’s hardly known for stellar service. It comes as no surprise that people have reported trouble.

The inescapable conclusion is that Canada Post is attempting to keep Canadians from discovering the full extent of such grievances — not to protect trade secrets but to avoid embarrassment. That runs counter to a public interest in openness.

Under these circumstances it’s fair to ask: if Canada Post can’t come clean about complaints, what else is it trying to hide?