[Article] Reimagining Canada Post: Leveraging this National Asset to Better Strengthen Social Connection and Support Ageing in the Right Place

As policymakers debate the future of Canada Post, one crucial perspective risks being overlooked: its potential to strengthen social connections and better support older adults to age in the right place.

For many Canadians, especially those living alone or in rural and remote areas, the postal service is more than a mail and parcel delivery network. It is a trusted presence in the community or a source of regular human connection that links people to one another and to essential services.

An Untapped National Asset

In its landmark 2023 Report: Special Delivery: How Canadian Postal Workers Could Better Enable Ageing in the Right Place, the NIA highlighted how even as traditional mail delivery declines and parcel markets become more competitive, Canada Post remains one of the country’s few truly national infrastructures. In 2023, postal workers served approximately 17.4 million addresses across urban, rural and remote regions.

Postal workers have a daily presence in neighbourhoods, which gives them unique insight into the well-being of many of the people they serve — often noticing subtle changes in routines that may signal someone needs help.

Programs like Prince Edward County’s Letter Carrier Alert, a voluntary initiative where postal workers flag unusual activity to local community organizations, demonstrate how this proximity can translate into connecting vulnerable people with meaningful community supports. Similarly, Canada Post’s delivery accommodations for people with mobility challenges or health limitations in areas served by community mailboxes provides a basis upon which this program could be further enhanced for these individuals to further enhance social connection and support for vulnerable individuals - as is being done nationally across Japan and France.

A Pivotal Moment for Renewal

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Carney called Canada Post a vital public institution but acknowledged that it faces a difficult financial situation. He noted that the Crown corporation is losing millions of dollars and that a restructuring is long overdue.

While such changes are often seen as threats to longstanding public services, this moment could instead mark a turning point—an opportunity to reshape the postal system into one better positioned to serve a super-aged nation.

With Canadians aged 85 and older expected to more than triple over the next few decades, reimagining Canada Post as part of the country’s community care and supports infrastructure could help address some of the most pressing challenges of our time: isolation, access to services and the greater need for local, trusted support mechanisms that can better enable ageing in the right place.

Learning from International Leadership

Around the world, postal systems are being reimagined as critical social infrastructure. The NIA’s research points to several innovative and revenue-generating models that could inspire innovation in Canada:

• Japan Post’s Watch Over service integrates its postal workers provding regular home visits and wellness check-ins as part of a broader national strategy to prevent isolation and ensure the safety of older adults.
• France’s La Poste offers Veiller Sur Mes Parents, combining wellness visits, medication and grocery delivery and remote assistance — supported by tax credits and public–private partnerships.
• In the UK, the Isle of Jersey’s Call&Check program enables its postal workers to deliver prescriptions, remind clients of appointments and check on their well-being. The program is free for up to two visits per week via the Jersey Department of Health and Community Services and is integrated into the local health system.

These initiatives share a common vision: using an existing, trusted workforce to promote connection, safety and independence among older adults while creating a new source of revenue for these organizations.

A Practical Path for Canada

Among the international examples, the Call&Check model presents a particularly feasible approach for Canada. It builds on the infrastructure and workforce Canada Post already has, requiring minimal additional training while offering brief, structured check-ins that can make a meaningful difference for isolated individuals. Such a model aligns closely with Canada’s policy priorities around ageing in the right place — enabling older adults to live safely and meaningfully in their own homes and communities for as long as possible — while also offering a sustainable new revenue stream for Canada Post and opportunities to strengthen partnerships with federal, provincial and community-based care providers.

As Canada Post faces financial and structural challenges, this current moment of reflection offers an opportunity to reimagine its role in serving Canadians — transforming a workforce that connects people not only to letters and parcels, but also to connection, companionship, care and support.