Thousands more homes in Ottawa will no longer get door-to-door mail delivery next year, as Canada Post expands its use of community mailboxes nationwide. The postal service announced on Thursday it would be converting an additional 485,000 homes in Canada to community mailboxes in 2027, on top of the 136,000 announced earlier this year. In April, Canada Post said around 30,000 homes in Ottawa would see community mailboxes starting later this year and into 2027. In a document on its website, Canada Post says homes whose postal codes begin with K1B, K1G, K1H, K1J and K1K would be moved to community mailboxes by July 2027, while homes in the K1C, K1E, and K1W areas will convert to community mailboxes by August 2027. These areas cover neighbourhoods such as Blackburn Hamlet, Pineview, Riverview Park, Overbrook, Elmvale, Hunt Club Park, Alta Vista, Convent Glen, Chapel Hill, Beacon Hill, and Queenswood Heights. “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 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,” the Crown corporation said in a news release on Thursday. “I think it’s no secret that we are in a difficult financial situation, so we announced $1.5 billion deficit in 2025 and an additional $205 million for the first quarter of 2026,” Ariane Sauvé, public relations director with Canada Post, told CTV News. Residents in neighbourhoods getting community mailboxes have begun receiving letters, indicating their door-to-door delivery will eventually end. The letters say affected residents will receive keys to their locked mail compartment in the new boxes before their delivery service changes. In a statement, Canada Post says these changes will move almost 41,000 addresses in Ottawa to community mailboxes. “We first announced 30,000 addresses being converted last month and yesterday we announced another 10,800 for a total of 40,800 being in Ottawa converted so far out of a total of 81,200 addresses, which includes 10,200 businesses,” a spokesperson said in an email Friday morning. Peter Pauker, an Ottawa resident, says he’s okay with the change, but also adds that it may pose challenges for some people who rely on door-to-door delivery. “I understand that Canada Post is under financial duress and that they have to cut costs and if that means that I have to go 100 and 150 yards or 200 yards to a group mailbox, I don’t have a really a problem with it,” Pauker said. “Most of my mail now comes electronically anyway.” Pauker adds that the transition to community mailboxes may cause challenges for some people who rely on door-to-door delivery. “The only problem that may arise is if there are quite a few older people. They may have a tough time getting their mail because there’s no sidewalk on one of these streets and it gets icy and it gets dangerous to walk.” Eleanore Brickell, another Ottawa resident, says she will miss door-to-door service. “It’s too bad. It’s been great having the mail delivered right to our doorstep,” Brickell said. “It was definitely convenient and nice to have that contact with the mail delivery person as well so, yeah it’s too bad” Residents in Hawkesbury, Ont., to the east of Ottawa, are also being converted to community mailboxes by September 2027, Canada Post says. More than four million addresses in Canada are set to be converted to community mailboxes over the next five years, according to Canada Post. “The move to community mailboxes will increase security by putting nearly all mail and parcels delivered by Canada Post under lock and key. It will also reduce costs, as delivering to the door costs significantly more than to a community mailbox,” Canada Post said. With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Natalie van Rooy
