Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 20, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba THINK TANK COMMENT EDITOR: RUSSELL WANGERSKY 204-697-7269 ● RUSSELL.WANGERSKY@WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A7 MONDAY OCTOBER 20, 2025 Ideas, Issues, Insights An opportunity — if Canada Post chooses to take it A FTER 158 years, it appears that Canada Post will finally be ending door-to-door mail delivery. With financial pressures intensify- ing, the federal government recently announced that it will allow a full-scale shift to community mailboxes. Most suburban neighbourhoods have been using remotely located boxes for several years, but cen- tral and pre-1970s residential areas in Canada’s largest cities have retained delivery service until now. The nearly five million remaining house- holds to be transitioned are located in the oldest and highest-density neighbourhoods in the coun- try, which may create some important logistical challenges to the transition. Higher residential densities will result in com- munity mailboxes being far more ubiquitous than they currently are in low-density suburbs. Winni- peg’s River Heights or Wolseley neighbourhoods, as an example, have between 50 and 60 homes on each block. Implementing the current Canada Post design would result in a community box roughly the length and height of a Honda Civic parked on the boulevard of every single block on every street in the neighbourhood. Areas like Os- borne or the West End, where densities are more than double that of River Heights, will see even greater impact. The Toronto Star reported that as many as 11,000 community box hubs will be needed to replace home delivery in that city. The pervasive nature of these large metal boxes will undeniably alter the image and physical charac- ter of many historic and inner-city communities across the country. The density and compactness of older neigh- bourhoods will also create functional challenges, as they often lack the wide boulevards and open areas found in suburbs to accommodate large mailbox installations. They will inevitably eat into already precious public space and make mainte- nance issues like sidewalk snow-clearing more costly and challenging than it already is. This could further exacerbate accessibility and safety issues in a city that already averages more than 10 people per day visiting the hospital to treat injuries from falling on snow and ice during the winter. With such little public space, these mail hubs will inevitably be located close to homes, which may create a loss of privacy, increased traffic, noise and garbage. They can also impact driver visibility and be a magnet for vandalism and theft in inner-city areas. This intervention into the landscape of urban neighbourhoods across the country will be an unprecedented challenge, but if we are thought- ful and creative, it might be an unprecedented opportunity. Attractive and dynamic neighbourhoods value the quality of the human-scale elements we inter- act with every day. The fine-grained texture of paving patterns, the rhythm of storefronts, light standards, boulevard trees, benches, planters and sidewalks, all work together to establish neigh- bourhood character and create walkable, safe and cohesive communities. The installation of community mailboxes might be seen as an opportunity to create a new type of street furniture that is beautiful and meaningful, weaving itself into this neighbourhood tapestry. If allowed to dream, the opportunities are limitless. What if instead of simply rolling out the same utilitarian metal boxes across the country, local artistic communities were engaged to design mailboxes that respond to unique site conditions, create a sense of place, and tell a story about the people who will use them? A well-publicized national design competition or a series of local workshops might capture the imagination of the country. Collaborative community engagement may uncover creative new ideas, respond to local tradi- tion and identify unique social, cultural, physical and climatic opportunities. Designers might be given modular components and a practical design framework that allows the creation of functional, cost-effective solutions with regional variation and local expression of creativity and storytell- ing. Where possible, these kiosks could be treated as small-scale nodes that encourage social connec- tion, not unlike the traditional small-town post office. They might include Wi-Fi hotspots, space for posters and advertising, newspaper boxes, benches, people-and-pet-friendly water fountains, shade canopies or bicycle maintenance tools. With an understanding of local dynamics and mobility patterns, kiosks could be strategically located to increase foot traffic to neighbourhood shops. Small seating areas or space for buskers might be incorporated to encourage pedestrian traffic to linger and support local businesses. Imagine the impact on local communities if the transition is approached as the world’s largest installation of functional public art, a series of beautifully designed objects peppered through the landscape of every Canadian city, with a micro-plaza and engaging urban sculpture dis- pensing mail on every corner. With a creative and holistic vision that reaches beyond mail delivery, these new mailboxes might become a unique and positive contribution to modern city life. The transition to community mailboxes is set to save Canada Post $400 million per year. Could part of that money be invested in our neighbour- hoods to reach beyond the typical tin box bolted to a concrete pad? Our cities are a reflection of who we are, and as Canadians we should demand creative thinking and quality design in our shared public spaces. Canada Post’s move to introduce community mailboxes in urban areas offers a valuable op- portunity to respond ambitiously and creatively, taking a difficult challenge and turning it into a lasting, positive investment in our communi- ties. We can either treat it as a simple logistical change, or as an opportunity to create an identifi- ably Canadian example of thoughtful, design-led urban transformation. By approaching the change with a progressive mindset and committing to excellence in design, placemaking and community building, this vast new network of tiny, beautiful public spaces, woven into the urban fabric of Canadian cities, has the potential to invigorate social, cultural and physical connections within our neighbourhoods. If done successfully, it could set a visionary ex- ample for cities around the world to follow. Brent Bellamy is creative director at Number Ten Architectural Group. The right time to reflect on precarious employment THE University of Winnipeg has a dirty secret the administration doesn’t want you to know: in any given term, half of the university’s students are taught by poorly paid contract academic staff with no benefits and no job security. These professors are fully qualified and experienced, with doctorates, graduate degrees and terminal degrees who also write, research and publish, yet we have to apply for each of our courses every year, and often every term. This week is Fair Employment Week, giving us the opportunity to recognize the valuable contributions of contract staff at universities and colleges all across Canada, who are among the worst-paid employees. Let me be clear: I love teaching, and for 13 years I’ve taught a full sched- ule of courses at the University of Winnipeg, often teaching 10 classes per year to make a living wage (which ironically leaves little time to live). The University of Winnipeg is not alone. Ses- sional instructors at the University of Manitoba also teach a large percentage of the courses and students and are poorly paid and have no access to benefits or job security. Other universities — such as the University of Calgary — not only offer contract staff benefits and job security, but also access to research and travel funds. If you’re wondering who teaches the rest of the students at the University of Winnipeg, many are taught by professors known as regular academic staff, who — in exchange for teaching several courses, advising and being on committees — receive excellent salaries, full pensions, a full suite of benefits, access to university research funding, tenure (job security) and a full suite of leaves available, from academic to maternity, and much more. Regular academic staff can also take a paid term off every three years or a full year off every six years, while contract staff may unceremoni- ously apply for unpaid leave at any time. Regular staff also have a budget for computers and office supplies, and a well-appointed office assigned to them. Contract staff have no budget or access to university computers — even if they are teaching online courses — and it’s not unusual for six con- tract staffers to share a single communal office. These communal offices are an embarrassment and a systemic issue at The University of Win- nipeg across nearly all departments. They are where old office furniture, printers and comput- ers go to die; we’ve had a faculty member store all his office belongings in our communal office while on leave, and just the other day, one con- tract staffer joked to me that the communal office is where he goes to die. Most members of the university community em- pathize with and support contract staff, but most students are unaware of the disparity. Some con- tract staff have to deal with uncaring department chairs who play games with their job applications and teaching evaluations, and who schedule contract staff out of courses they’ve earned the right to teach. We have deans and administrators cancelling courses of popular contract staff in attempts to fill less popular, highly paid regular academic staff courses. The fact is, contract staff often don’t know if or what they’re teaching until a month or less before a term begins. This creates immense anxiety every term for most contract staff. When facing budget cuts, most companies in the private sector and many universities look at reducing the number of highly paid, low-contrib- uting employees, but the University of Winnipeg instead picks the pockets of its students most in need (teaching assistants and international students) and its most precarious employees, contract academic staff. Last year, the adminis- tration cancelled and/or reduced all TA marking hours — seriously affecting students and contract staff — and in a grand move of solidarity, they also cancelled all department lunches. This year, contract staff budgets have been slashed and contract courses cancelled to cover the university’s financial woes, blamed in part on the federal government, but contract staff are paying for the financial mismanagement of the university and its reliance on over-charging inter- national students — effectively monetizing them. Having been an international student myself, I’ve lived through the money grab, paying five times what my fellow students paid for tuition. I agree with the Canadian Association of University Teachers’ assessment that this was never a financially sustainable model, and seeing international students “simply as revenue streams to make up for stagnating and falling public fund- ing” is a major problem, not a solution. This Fair Employment Week, please take a moment to consider contract staff, sessional instructors, adjunct faculty and all precarious employees like us: those without financial and job security, who often have to borrow to make ends meet. We’re not asking for the world, just some fairness within it. James Scoles is a contract academic staff representative on the University of Winnipeg Faculty Association (Union) Council. He teaches creative writing and literature courses. It takes two to do good business DEAR insurance company, I want to pay my bill. After more than a week of calling three different customer service numbers, the refrain: “All circuits are busy at this time. Please hang up and call again later,” is in- scribed on my brain. After a full week of being locked out online and failing to get through by phone, I wrote a letter to media relations at the company. “Please,” I wrote, “let me pay my bill so I don’t have to write about this incredibly frustrating situation.” I do realize, of course, that it’s not the U.S. insurance company’s fault that Canada Post went on strike, but even when it’s not on strike, it can take weeks for a cheque to arrive. Yes, the advent of online apps can make paying one’s bill cheaper and easier and re- duce waste. However, we’ve resisted them in our household because getting the physical bill means it sits on the hall table. My part- ner and I both can see it. With online apps, it can be almost impossible for a spouse to do the payment or help. In the best of times, we are all individually responsible for our bills and responsibilities, but let’s be honest. Part of the reason we gather in couples and families is to reduce administrative burden. One person cooks dinner, and then the other can figure out the bill payment. This can be onerous across international borders, even without a postal strike. After writing my letter, or perhaps be- cause I contacted their social media account, I was sent a top-secret confidential corre- spondence. It took several tries to open. I needed another dang password, plus security questions, like “What was the first R-rated movie you saw?” “What was the make of your second car?” or “What’s the middle name of your youngest child?” I was absolutely flummoxed. I cannot remember which R-rated movies I was shown too early in life. What if you have twins or are child- less? The questions were intrusive. Finally, I broke the top-secret code and read the letter, which gave me the name and phone number of an actual person to contact. I have now tried to call that person three times. I only get voicemail. Some companies just don’t want our busi- ness. Close to home, I remembered interac- tions I have in shops. Sometimes, I try to do positive business with unsmiling clerks who seem unwilling to build relationships or care. I’m not looking for a lifelong best friend. I’m trying to give somebody money and have a pleasant exchange, but this takes two. Are my expectations unreasonable? Recent research indicates that micro-rela- tionships with strangers, those small social exchanges we may have on the street or in shops, are good for our health. It reduces loneliness, builds community connection, and boosts public safety. To do this, we need the other person to exist. Recent changes to customer service models mean that we interact only with online apps assisted by AI, and even when we need to reach an employee to solve a problem, that might fail, as shown by my in- surance company issues. Second, if we reach a person, they need to be receptive. I’m not suggesting fake smiles or endearments, but simply a sign that we both recognize and acknowledge each other’s existence. It could only be beneficial for a corpo- ration or a small business to choose this approach. It makes more money. It also improves employee and customer satisfac- tion, well-being and health. It might even bring others joy or connection, but only if we choose to do it. The big corporation might say, “we must protect against fraud! We must do cost-cut- ting!” I too would like to avoid international money laundering or unnecessary bureau- cracy, but making it this difficult to pay one’s life insurance premium means some- thing has gone seriously wrong. Our society’s increasing emphasis on automation, AI, and cost cutting means we’ll only be facing more of this. In a world full of grocery self-checkout, self-driving cars and financial apps, we reduce chances to in- teract or problem solve with actual humans. Yet, our bodies and brains were designed to flourish with precisely this interaction. We should make time for these small, positive social exchanges, particularly at a neigh- bourhood store. There’s no downside to these micro-moment, positive encounters. It boosts every kind of bottom line, but it also still takes two to have even one micro-rela- tionship. Joanne Seiff, a Winnipeg author, has been contributing opinions and analysis to the Free Press since 2009. JOANNE SEIFF JAMES SCOLES BRENT BELLAMY Canada Post has an opportunity to improve on the plain boxes of community mailbox installation BRENT BELLAMY ;