Londoners for Door to Door: City Council

Showing posts with label City Council. Show all posts

Friday, August 28, 2015

Time for a moratorium on Canada Post's self-serve mailboxes in London

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Once again Canada Post will deny our community face to face consultation as it announces that they will not send a representative at the upcoming London Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee on August 31 at City Hall, where this item is on the 4:00pm agenda. This arrogant pattern is becoming familiar as we see the Conservative Party also adopting the same duck-and-hide tactics, while avoiding meaningful consultation with communities. "Canada Post claims it is 'following its process' in London, but their process doesn't seem to include any public discussion, answering community questions and concerns, or even showing up to meeting as they promised in March they would do before beginning any new mailbox installations." comments Wendy Goldsmith.

Disappointed by Canada Post's blatant lack of real engagement, Londoners for Door to Door intend to bring strong community voices to the discussion on Monday. Members of Londoners4Door2Door have asked to speak at the upcoming Monday council committee meeting. We will urge City Council to demand a moratorium of the installation of super mailboxes until after the October federal election, and broad, meaningful community consultations. We urge City Council to make a statement to Canada Post that London City Council opposes the cuts to door to door mail delivery service. We urge London City Council to support efforts being taken by Hamilton and Montreal to defend in court their communities' rights against Canada Post. "This second no-show by Canada Post is a deliberate slap in the face to our City Council." adds David Heap. "The question is, will our Mayor and Councillors just take this corporate disrespect quietly, or will they take action to protect our communities?"

Contacts:
Wendy Goldsmith wendygoldsmith21@gmail.com 519 281 3978
David Heap david.heap@gmail.com 519 859 3579

Take action to help save Door-to-Door mail in London!

Dear supporter of Door-to-Door mail delivery,
Thank you for signing a petition, a letter, or a contact list in support of continuing Door-to-Door mail service. And thank you for opposing the imposition of super-mailboxes in our neighbourhoods. Londoners for Door-to-Door is a volunteer community group that recently delivered almost 2900 signatures of support to London's City Hall , and we hope to count on your support again to make sure your message is heard:
The Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee meets at City Hall on Monday August 31, 4:00pm. Canada Post is once again refusing to send a representative to meet our city councillors, but we want to ensure that our community viewpoints are heard. Here is what you can do to help:

Contact your city councillor and the Mayor (find their contact info here). Ask them to:
- STOP THE INSTALLATIONS! - support a moratorium on the installation of super-mailboxes until after the October election and proper community consultation.
- Make a statement to Canada Post that London's City Council opposes the cuts to door to door mail service.
- Support efforts being taken by Hamilton and Montreal to defend their communities' rights against Canada Post in court.
Join us at City Hall on Monday August 31, from 4pm in the Gallery, 3rd floor. Facebook users can join, share & re-post this event page. The more presence we have, the better!
Visit the new website, Friends of Public Services. Sign their petition, share the website, and spread the Facebook page far and wide!
- This new grass-roots organization is setting its sights on saving Door-to-Door as its first campaign!
Save the date Sept. 6, when the Canadian Union of Postal Workers'cross-Canada save Door-to-Door Caravan rolls into London!
- We will have a day full of activities and actions to welcome our guests, ending with a street party on Talavera Crescent, the site of our ongoing community presence against self-serve mailboxes!
And remember: there is still time to request changes in proposed locations of self-serve mailboxes in your area. See contact and other information here.

Londoners for Door to Door
http://4door2door.nationbuilder.com/

For Door to Door · Canada
You can also keep up with Londoners for Door to Door on Twitter.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Londoners for Door to Door delivers 2867 support signatures to City Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2015. 11 am. London City Hall.

Londoners for Door to Door delivers 2867 support signatures to City Council

Canada Post has been pushing ahead with installation of Self Serve Mail Boxes in several London neighbourhoods, despite a unanimous request from London City Council last month, to stop work until the Crown Corporation comes back to report on community consultations, as they promised to do in March.

Today, City Council hears from constituents about the importance of continuing this valuable and profitable public service. After months of door-to-door canvassing and signature collecting at community events, Londoners For Door to Door delivered petitions and letters to the City Clerk, signed by the many London residents who want this service to be maintained, not just for themselves but for their parents, grandparents, neighbours and friends.

"We have heard loudly and clearly from community members that nobody wants Canada Post to impose these Self Serve Mailboxes in our neighbourhoods. Instead, we want to protect jobs and maintain a public service that makes money for Canadians and provides door-to-door mail delivery.” says Wendy Goldsmith. “It is unprecedented for a G8 country to propose this kind of mail service cut, all thanks to the Harper Conservatives and their drive for austerity."

Londoners For Door To Door continues to be deeply concerned about the lack of community consultation and the lies that appear to flow freely from the mouths of Canada Post spokespeople. We strongly believe that this is not a done deal, and that municipalities have an important role to play in regulating what a Crown Corporation can do in our neighbourhoods. "Londoners have not got clear answers from Canada Post on this issue" adds David Heap "but they do have a clear choice in October's federal election: we can oppose the Harper government's imposition of these service cuts, and support the official opposition which is calling for service to be restored and even extended."

Ward 10 Councillor Virginia Ridley was also present when the petitions were received by the City Clerk's office. The issue is due to come up at the next Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee on August 31.

Londoners can still request changes to proposed mailbox locations, see contact information posted here.

We encourage all London residents to call and email their city councillors to urge Canada Post to cease and desist with these actions which clearly violate the public will.

For more information contact:

David Heap 519 859 3579

Wendy Goldsmith 519 281 3978

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Community Responds with Art Against Mailboxes as Canada Post Ignores City Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 29, 2015.

Community Responds with Art Against Mailboxes as Canada Post Ignores City Council

Garden installations ‘All that has value’ by internationally renowned artist Ron Benner

London City Council has taken a position against the implementation of so-called Community Mail Boxes in our community. Passed 13-0 by Council Tuesday evening, the resolution calls on Canada Post " to delay further implementation of Community Mailboxes in the City of London" until requests for information regarding public consultation have been met, as well as other conditions.

From one of Ron Benner's art garden installations (Halifax, 2013)

Despite this request from our city government, Canada Post continues to install concrete pads in neighbourhoods in London in preparation for the installation of Self Serve Mail Boxes (SSMBs). Londoners are naturally resisting these unwanted incursions into our communities. Neighbourhood actions are springing up around the city. From block parties (like the one on Talavera Crescent that began on Tuesday and continues today) to community gardens and boulevard beautification projects, Londoners are protecting community spaces from this steam-rollering Crown Corporation and its cuts to vital services.

Londoner Ron Benner, an internationally renowned visual artist and activist is participating in this community initiative by creating garden-art installations at various sites around London. The title of his work ‘All that has value’ recalls a Mexican artist who stated : "All that has value was then counted as nothing” after the conquest of Mexico City in 1519.

The artists’ gardens (4x6 feet and 4x8 feet) include plants native to the Americas which is part of his continuing research and work into First Nations’ farming practices and plants that are significant to today’s economy and food culture around the world. Benner sees this intervention of the garden onto the site of the concrete pads intended for the postal boxes as part of our community’s “Save door-to door” (londoners4door2door.blogspot.ca) campaign to maintain mail delivery. ‘These gardens are in solidarity with Canadian postal workers as well as our community’s concerns for safe, secure mail delivery service in our neighbourhoods,’ comments Benner.

The first art garden installation will occur Wednesday July 29 starting at 7 :30 pm, and the second on early Thursday morning, July 30. Ronner Benner will be on hand for comment at both locations.

For locations and other details contact:
Wendy Goldsmith wendygoldsmith21@gmail.com 519 281 3978

David Heap david.heap@gmail.com 519 859 3579

More info at: londoners4door2door.blogspot.ca

Ron Benner is a visual artist and activist based in London, Ontario. His photographic/garden Installations As the Crow Flies can be viewed at Museum London overlooking the Thames River (2005-on-going) and Cuitlacoche (2012- on-going) at Hart House, University of Toronto. His works are in numerous public collections. He has exhibited across Canada, and internationally, most recently in China, 2014.

Londoners for Door to Door

people4door2door@gmail.com londoners4door2door.blogspot.ca Twitter: @PPL4Door2Door

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

London City Council calls on Canada Post to halt mailbox installation

From the Report from the Strategic Priorities and Policy, on the agenda for the July 28 City Council meeting:

5. Proposed Implementation of Community Mailboxes by Canada Post

That the following actions be taken with respect to the Canada Post Community Mail Box Program:

a) Canada Post BE REQUESTED to delay further implementation of Community Mailboxes in the City of London until such time as a satisfactory response to the matters referenced in b), c) and d), below, has been received by the Municipal Council:

b) as Canada Post has not had an opportunity to report back to the Municipal Council with respect to the public consultation process undertaken prior to the installation of the community mail boxes being commenced and the need to provide a mechanism for members of the public to express safety concerns with respect to the installation, the Civic Administration BE REQUESTED to advise the Ward Councillors of any safety and operational concerns raised with respect to the proposed location of a community mail box resulting from the submission of an application for a Permit for Approved Works (PAWS); it being noted that Ward Councillors will advise the Civic Administration of any concerns that have come to their attention from members of the public with respect to the location of a community mail box;

c) the Civic Administration BE REQUESTED to make the list of locations submitted through the Permit for Approved Works process available to the public, subject to meeting the requirements of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act;

d) the Civic Administration BE REQUESTED to report back with respect to an Agreement with Canada Post to formalize responsibilities as follows:

 installation of the new Community Mailboxes to be done entirely at Canada Post’s expense;

 Canada Post to be fully responsible for maintenance including snow-clearing and graffiti-removal. Litter pick up would not be provided by Canada Post, however actions would be undertaken such as the distribution of “good-customer” letters encouraging good behaviours where concerns arise;

 Canada Post would not require the City of London to provide lighting nor would the City of London be installing lighting;

 sidewalk locations would be preferred but it is anticipated that this will not be possible within many existing neighbourhoods. Where street-facing Community Mailboxes are necessary, accessible curb cuts would be constructed at the cost of Canada Post;

e) the communication dated June 16, 2015 from Karen D., expressing concern with the Community Mailbox Program, BE RECEIVED.

Motion Passed

YEAS: M. Brown, M. van Holst, B. Armstrong, M. Salih, M. Cassidy, P. Squire, J. Morgan, P. Hubert, A. Hopkins, V. Ridley, H.L. Usher, T. Park, J. Zaifman (13)

Passed unanimously, 13-0.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

your support for Door to Door mail is needed NOW !

Dear Door to Door supporter,

Our City Council will be considering the whole Canada Post issue on Monday July 27 (in Committee, starting 4 pm) and Tuesday July 28 (full Council, starting 4 pm). This is your chance to help by calling / e-mailing Councillors and the Mayor asking them to support:

a moratorium (halt) to all installation of new mailbox in London, until at least after the upcoming federal election in October, and
a full release of all information from City staff about changes made to proposed locations for mailbox installation.

You can find contact information for the Mayor and all the councillors here: http://www.london.ca/city-hall/city-council/Documents/Council-Contact-List.pdf *

Please e-mail and/or call as soon as you can, on Monday if possible, and keep calling and e-mailing through Tuesday July 28 as well.

In the last few days our campaign has drawn attention to Canada Post's dishonesty. Despite their agreement in March to report back to our City Council prior to the installation of Self Serve Mail Boxes, Canada Post has instructed contractors to begin installing concrete pads for new SSMBs.

By simply stopping one pad from being installed for a couple of days, we helped focus attention on this issue. Some City Councillors are saying that Canada Post misled Londoners.

With your help, we can do more in the coming days and weeks. If you can give a few hours of your time, please contact us at people4door2door@gmail.com.

Together we can help save Door to Door mail delivery!

Londoners for Door to Door

people4door2door@gmail.com londoners4door2door.blogspot.ca Twitter: @PPL4Door2Door