Canada Post Woes (merged)

[dapaterson]

So you're saying there are costs and disadvantages to choosing to live in a rural area.  Fine, but be willing to pay for the choices you make.  If you want your 20 acres practically off the grid, then pay the cost for your mail- and don't expect urban areas to subsidize your lifestyle choice.

 

[The Bread Guy]

So you're saying there are costs and disadvantages to choosing to live in a rural area.  Fine, but be willing to pay for the choices you make.  If you want your 20 acres practically off the grid, then pay the cost for your mail- and don't expect urban areas to subsidize your lifestyle choice.

Then it should be called something other than "Canada" Post if not all of Canada can have some level of basic service maintained.

 

[SupersonicMax]

And to those saying public libraries are available for internet access:  how many of you would be willing to restrict your access to your own electronic access to business hours only?  And as more of us look things up online instead of talking to a librarian, libraries are shrinking staff and hours, so they may also be at risk of going the way of stamped mail.

Well, the people using the libraries will not reveive their snail mail outside regular buisness hours either.  If you choose not to have internet (it is a choice these days) then you suffer the consequences:  pay for the mail service or pay for internet. 

 

[PMedMoe]

If you choose not to have internet (it is a choice these days)

I beg to differ.  I know people in some rural areas who are still "off the grid".  It's coming, but it's not there yet.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

So you're saying there are costs and disadvantages to choosing to live in a rural area.  Fine, but be willing to pay for the choices you make.  If you want your 20 acres practically off the grid, then pay the cost for your mail- and don't expect urban areas to subsidize your lifestyle choice.

If I was off the grid. I wouldn't need mail. Electronic or otherwise. Also, if you force people in rural areas to 'foot the bill' it'll end up being you anyway, when the price on rural commodities are increased to pay for their bottom line.

 

[dapaterson]

Give me that choice to pay more for XXXX from a rural area - don't assume that I want it and make me pay through taxes.

 

[SupersonicMax]

I beg to differ.  I know people in some rural areas who are still "off the grid".  It's coming, but it's not there yet.

It is still a choice to be "off the grid" these days. 

 

[George Wallace]

It is still a choice to be "off the grid" these days.

Sure.  Many rural areas are being served by the internet, but having service at the speed of "Dial up" is really not that efficient, especially when it is sporadic.

 

[dapaterson]

Then move.

 

[SupersonicMax]

Sure.  Many rural areas are being served by the internet, but having service at the speed of "Dial up" is really not that efficient, especially when it is sporadic.

It is still probably way more efficicient getting your mail on the computer with a dialup connection than waiting 2 weeks to get a letter....

 

[jollyjacktar]

In southern Ontario you can get a smart phone with 5gb data and unlimited Canada and US calling for 45 per month.  Cheaper than a Bell landline.

Ahem, what about the rest of us poor bastards who don't live in the centre of the universe?

 

[dapaterson]

Decide what's important.  If your location is most important, accept the additional costs of living there.

And if you're in the Reg F, push your MP to get a realistic, regularly updated PLD.

 

[George Wallace]

It is still probably way more efficicient getting your mail on the computer with a dialup connection than waiting 2 weeks to get a letter....

I guess you missed the "SPORADIC" in that statement.  You aren't getting any email until your service provider ensures you can make a connection and keep it.

I have a few friends who have retired to rural areas in PEI, population of whole province of around 100K, and they have really poor service, often complete loss of service, from their providers.  One of those providers is Bell.  So, in essence, our internet service to many Canadians is just as bad as Canada Post.

As for Canada Post going the route of the national railways of the 1960's when they concentrated on freight and let passenger service disappear (Another failure in my eyes and lack of forward vision); Canada Post with its hopes of saving itself with its parcel delivery service may be nothing more than a wet dream.  There are something like 2,000 Parcel Delivery companies in Canada. 

 

[dapaterson]

So, they chose to retire in a rural area with poor internet connectivity, but expect urban areas to subsidize the post office to enable their lifestyle choice.

Maybe they should have thought about that when making their choice?

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Dapaterson:

My wife's mother lives in Hamilton (last I checked, a pretty large city in Southern Ontario  ). In her area of the City, they are still on dial-up.

Here, where my wife and I live, we are in what is defined as the Montreal Metropolitan Area, not on the outer edges but near the mid-point between downtown Montreal and the edge. We just got high speed a year and a half ago when Bell finally installed optic fibre in our sector.

So don't give us that crap.

And if you want everybody to live in the dense urban area of Greater Toronto - Then fine, but you better learn to go hungry.

Farmers Rule !!!

 

[jollyjacktar]

Decide what's important.  If your location is most important, accept the additional costs of living there.

And if you're in the Reg F, push your MP to get a realistic, regularly updated PLD.

Well, well, well that's really realistic... not!  Reality is the majority of your fellow citizens are not "blessed" to live in God's Green Acres that comprises Southern Ontario.  Most of these folks have no choice in the matter either.  Small wonder why the ROC dislikes the centre of the universe as much as they do with that sense of entitlement on display.

 

[SupersonicMax]

I guess you missed the "SPORADIC" in that statement.  You aren't getting any email until your service provider ensures you can make a connection and keep it.

I have a few friends who have retired to rural areas in PEI, population of whole province of around 100K, and they have really poor service, often complete loss of service, from their providers.  One of those providers is Bell.  So, in essence, our internet service to many Canadians is just as bad as Canada Post.

As for Canada Post going the route of the national railways of the 1960's when they concentrated on freight and let passenger service disappear (Another failure in my eyes and lack of forward vision); Canada Post with its hopes of saving itself with its parcel delivery service may be nothing more than a wet dream.  There are something like 2,000 Parcel Delivery companies in Canada.

I have been to pretty remote places in my life.  In the last 10 years, I was always able to get a connection good enough to receive and send emails.  I don't by the argument of internet being unavailable.  All of PEI is served by Bell on their LTE network.  You can get mobile internet with Bell for 10$ a month for up to 100 MB of data (should be plenty if all you are doing is emails)...

 

[Fishbone Jones]

So, they chose to retire in a rural area with poor internet connectivity, but expect urban areas to subsidize the post office to enable their lifestyle choice.

Maybe they should have thought about that when making their choice?

Like Wynne gave rural folk a choice to to subsidize Toronto's subway or Ontario's green plan disaster?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I have been to pretty remote places in my life.  In the last 10 years, I was always able to get a connection good enough to receive and send emails.  I don't by the argument of internet being unavailable.  All of PEI is served by Bell on their LTE network.  You can get mobile internet with Bell for 10$ a month for up to 100 MB of data (should be plenty if all you are doing is emails)...

I also have been to some pretty remote places. Just in North Central Ontario alone, you'll get no wifi, nor will you get a cell signal.

 

[SupersonicMax]

I also have been to some pretty remote places. Just in North Central Ontario alone, you'll get no wifi, nor will you get a cell signal.

Where in North Central Ontario.