Whereas there is an urgent need for banking services among the unbanked or underbanked, given that thousands of villages and rural municipalities do not have a bank branch and more than 900 municipalities have expressed their support for postal banking;
Whereas thousands of Canadians do not have access to affordable high-speed Internet, and the federal government has long promised to bridge the rural broadband gap;
Whereas urgent action is needed to establish a robust network of electric vehicle charging stations;
Whereas to achieve carbon-neutral targets by 2050, Canada Post must greatly accelerate the electrification of its fleet;
Whereas the extensive network of post offices in our communities can provide a wide range of services as community hubs;
Whereas Canada Post's letter carriers and RSMCs can check-in on vulnerable residents to help keep us in our homes longer as we age;
Whereas Canada Post must play its part for a more equitable post-pandemic recovery;
Whereas “The Way Forward for Canada Post,” the report of the 2016 federal public review of the postal service, recommended that Canada Post expand services and adapt its services to the changing needs of the public;
Whereas the Canadian Union of Postal Workers has advanced Delivering Community Power, a vision of the post-carbon digital-age postal service that address the above needs and more;
Be it resolved that the Council of the Municipality of West Grey endorses Delivering Community Power; and
That this motion be circulated to the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister for Public Services and Procurement.