Mountain will lose door-to-door mail delivery in July

The ink is barely dry on the court decision, and Canada Post is taking the final step in phasing out door-to-door mail delivery for residents on the Mountain.

As of July 20, 36,000 Mountain homes will go to new community mailboxes to get their mail, said Jon Hamilton, spokesperson for Canada Post. Their last official day of door-to-door mail is July 17.

The move comes after an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled against the city in its attempt to legislate where mailboxes will go.

The city passed a bylaw saying Canada Post had to consult with the municipality before it installed a super mailbox. Canada Post argued that its federal mandate to deliver the mail trumps municipal laws. In the end, the judge agreed.

City councillors are expected to decide tomorrow whether to appeal.

Coun. Terry Whitehead of Ward 8, the biggest advocate for the bylaw, called the Canada Post move "arrogant."

"It's a bit arrogant for them to jump to the conclusion that we've already made a decision on what our next steps are," he said. "But that goes with the territory in dealing with Canada Post."

The Mountain is the first Hamilton community to lose door-to-door mail delivery. Eventually, all 110,000 homes in Hamilton will use community mailboxes. The corporation hasn't announced what area is next.