Canada Post’s list of cities that will be shifting from home delivery to community mailboxes now includes Kitchener. On Thursday, they announced the latest steps in the transformation plan meant to make the Crown corporation more financially sustainable. Canada Post said approximately 485,000 addresses, from 37 communities, with make the switch in 2027. Kitchener will be one of the 158,000 addresses in Ontario, along with London, Ajax, Brampton, Hawkesbury, Mississauga, Ottawa and Pickering. The postal codes in Kitchener include: N2A, N2B, N2C, N2E, N2G, N2H, N2M, N2N, N2P. Approximately 41,000 addresses in Kitchener are slated to make the change. Other areas included in Thursday’s announcement were: Halifax, Nova Scotia; Fredericton and Oromocto in New Brunswick; L’Ancienne-Lorette, Laval, Longueuil, Québec City, Saint-Hubert and Trois-Rivières in Québec; Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg in Manitoba; Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta; Burnaby, Colwood, Coquitlam, Esquimalt, Kelowna, Langford, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Saanich, Songhees Nation (New Songhees 1A), Victoria, View Royal, Westbank First Nation (Tsinstikeptum 10 and Tsinstikeptum 9) and West Kelowna in British Columbia. Thirteen additional communities are scheduled to move from door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes in late 2026 or early 2027. Ariane Sauvé, Canada Post’s director of public relations, said the areas were selected because they are close to neighbourhoods that already use community mailboxes. “So we are starting from the surrounding of these neighbourhoods first, and then we’ll go kind of more deeper into the downtown core, urban locations,” Sauvé said. Sauvé said Canada Post will now begin the process of identifying potential locations for the community mailboxes. “We are doing some ground work right now to find the best site, location for the boxes. So we’re looking for the most secure, accessible location, closer to the homes.” After that, Canada Post will work with each municipality’s planning department to ensure the identified locations work for them. Once the decision is made, residents will be notified. What homeowners need to know The Crown corporation is still in the planning stages and the transition will take some time. “Canada Post will engage with local governments as it identifies suitable locations for community mailbox sites,” a media release said. “The company is also notifying residents of the upcoming change to their mail delivery, and will keep them, businesses, bargaining agents and employees informed every step of the way.” The anticipated conversion date is October 2027. If you want to request an accommodation, you can do so by visiting Canada Post’s Delivery Accommodation Program website. “I want to reassure everybody that we want to protect the Postal Service for everyone. We want to make sure that everybody can access their mail,” Sauvé said. Sauvé notes that 75 per cent of Canadians already use community mailboxes, and with most packages able to fit inside the compartments, it’s considered a more secure alternative to leaving a parcel on someone’s porch. Reason for the change Canada Post reported $1.57 billion in losses before tax in 2025. In order to get its finances back on track, the Crown corporation is closing some of its post offices and eliminating home delivery. “Community mailbox conversions are a key element of Canada Post’s plan to transform the postal service to meet the evolving needs of Canadians without becoming a recurring burden on taxpayers,” the media release said. “The corporation’s deteriorating financial situation – including a record loss in 2025 and another significant loss in the first quarter of 2026 – underscores the urgency of this transformation.” Canada Post’s plan to fully convert the country’s four million addresses is expected to take at least five years.
