The Canadian Union of Postal Workers wants Canada Post to commit to going green. Canada Post has nearly 20,000 vehicles in the country and it is clear that the Crown Corporation does not have any 100% electric vehicle. Worse, there are only 9 charging stations located in the 6,300 Canada Post offices across the country.
Members of the Union executive were present at the office of Claude DeBellefeuille, MP for the riding of Salaberry-Suroît on Wednesday, November 17th to discuss with the Bloc member the importance of Canada Post going green.
The management of Canada Post appears to be light years from the ecological reality. In addition to owning a limited number of non plug-in hybrid vehicles, Canada Post intends to acquire only 230 electric vehicles by 2030.
“We need to electrify the Canada Post fleet, explains Hugo Charrette. It is the largest vehicle fleet after that of the Canadian Armed Forces. Replacing current vehicles with electric vehicles would have a huge impact. This would help Canada achieve its goal of carbon neutrality.”
By making a transition to electric vehicles, Canada Post would inevitably establish a major charging network. You must understand that Canada Post has 6,300 offices across the country. “In Quebec, there are more than 1,000 Canada Post offices. By acquiring green vehicles, there would inevitably be the installation of charging stations and they could also be used by the population. The purchase price of electric vehicles has fallen significantly, but the craze for these vehicles is facing a major obstacle: consumers fear the scarcity of public charging stations. That would now be resolved”, says Mr. Charrette.
The attentive MP
For more than 90 minutes Claude DeBellefeuille has been attentive to the demands of Canada Post workers. “We have to take concrete action, says MP DeBellefeuille. What is indisputable is that Canada Post offices are always well located in cities and municipalities and that in Quebec, we have the expertise to electrify the fleet. In addition, we have the resource to do so.”
The members of the Canada Post union are proposing a wide range of projects to fight climate change.
There is talk of going green with the vehicle fleet using union-made electric vehicles, renovating Canada Post buildings with the installation of solar panels to reduce energy costs and making greater use of Canada Post to consolidate last-mile delivery, thereby reducing urban congestion and pollution caused in part by too many delivery trucks not being filled to capacity.
“The Trudeau government prided itself on being an environmental leader at COP26, but it does not boast of having, through Canada Post, the largest fleet of polluting vehicles from coast to coast”, Hugo Charrette campaign coordinator for the union of postal workers.
With post offices in Canada currently outnumbering McDonald’s and Tim Hortons restaurants combined, employees want the postal service to become a hub for the new green economy through a pan-Canadian electric vehicle charging network.
