Roughly 10,000 people in Lower Sackville and Bedford are among the thousands of Canadians who, as of Monday, no longer have door-to-door mail delivery.

Earlier this year, Canada Post sparked a national outcry when it announced that community mailboxes will replace door-to-door service in 11 communities starting this fall.

It marks the first phase of a five-year program that will ultimately affect about 5 million addresses.

Many are unhappy about the loss of service and the end of a tradition, including Emily Lapierre, who owns a home in Lower Sackville.

She and her neighbours had to make the trip to a community mailbox for the first time on Monday.

“During the winter months is worse. I have arthritis really bad,” says Lapierre.

Robert Wilson is concerned the boxes are too close to the road.

“They plow these roads after midnight. I have an idea, if he’s got a big load in front of that plow, it’s going to knock a few of those mailboxes down,” says Wilson.

Caroline Vanbuskirk has been trying to get a medical exemption so she can continue to receive door-to-door mail delivery.

“I called them ten times and still the paperwork has not arrived,” she says. “I have health concerns. It would not be good to fall on my head.”

On Monday, service changed for:

26,400 addresses in Oakville, Ont.

12,500 addresses in Winnipeg

10,450 addresses in Calgary

9,950 addresses in Lower Sackville and Bedford

8,450 addresses in Fort McMurray

7,900 addresses in the Ottawa neighbourhood of Kanata

More than 24,000 addresses in the 5 bedrooms communities of Montreal

Canada Post estimates that moving the five million addresses to community mailboxes will eventually save between $400 million and $500 million annually.

However, some are asking why Canada Post didn’t consider other options, such as delivering the mail two or three times a week, instead of five.

“Canada Post can enter more aggressively into the parcel business,” says Jeff Callaghan of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. “We’ve all seen parcel volumes going up and that’s offsetting some of the loss in first-class letter volumes.”

The union says Canada is the only G8 country planning to end door-to-door mail delivery.

Those who qualify for exemptions are supposed to get their mail once a week, by truck.

In February, Canada Post said the first areas to switch from home delivery are close to neighbourhoods that already have community mailboxes. Delivery will not change for apartment buildings, seniors’ homes or condominiums that have delivery service to a lobby or mailroom, or for customers who have their mail delivered to a rural box at the end of their driveway.

Most businesses in larger communities will also retain door-to-door service.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ron Shaw and CTVNews.ca