The District of Sechelt wants Canada Post to update the “V0N 3A0” postal code for Sechelt post office boxes to reflect an "urban" delivery designation.
In 2021, Canada Post transitioned Sechelt’s neighbourhood delivery areas from rural to urban postal code designations but not the downtown post office. This means businesses and residents (primarily downtown) who typically rely on post-office box delivery face higher courier delivery costs and limited service options.
At the July 2 Sechelt council meeting, Coun. Alton Toth brought forward a motion for the municipality to send a letter to Canada Post to officially request it update the V0N 3A0 postal code in alignment with neighbourhood delivery areas, to “ensure consistency and support fair access to shipping services for Sechelt area residents and businesses.”
As reported in Coast Reporter in March 2021, Canada Post officially changed 7,200 postal codes in Sechelt and Halfmoon Bay — leaving many residents confused and annoyed, due to the way they were notified (or not) and the need to change the address on everything from their driver’s licence to bills to any parcels delivered. But, the codes on post boxes within the Sechelt post office didn’t change.
Of particular issue is the shipping cost difference between rural and urban postal code designations. This particularly affects downtown Sechelt businesses, which rely on PO boxes for reliable mail service, said the motion.
For comparison purposes, courier shipping a three-pound, 12” x 12” x 12” package from Toronto (M5V 3L9) costs significantly more to ship to V0N 3A0 (a downtown business with a postal box) than to V7Z 0V1 (an urban designated address in Sechelt).
A graph located within the report shows a UPS Express parcel shipped to V0N 3A0 costs $129.42 compared to one the same size sent to V7Z 0V1 for $100.39, a difference of $29.03. Meanwhile, a UPS Express Saver costs $121.41 to be shipped to V0N 3A0 compared to V7Z 0V1 for $83.19, a difference of $38.22.
Coun. Darren Inkster pointed out that extra cost really adds up for businesses shipping multiple packages. He added, when he was part of a business in downtown Sechelt, he had no idea about this discrepancy, so he’s glad it’s been brought forward.
“We'll call it surprising that something a block away or 10 feet away, gets that extra $29 and so if you get 10 parcels... [that's] $300 extra,” said Inkster. “As a past counsellor used to say, ‘do the math.’ So yeah, I'm very supportive.”
Toth said, despite the fact the postal code change happened in 2021, it came to his attention once again last fall after a conversation with the manager of government and community affairs for Richmond.
“His comment on the matter was that he understands they have encountered things like this in other communities, but once Canada Post has moved on from their initiated process, they actually require a council motion to ask for the change,” Toth told council. “And so really that's all this motion is, asking for us to update the postal code for the post office with Canada Post to reflect the savings and whatnot that, literally, the rest of the community receives."
The motion was passed unanimously. Coun. Brenda Rowe was absent from the meeting.
