Canada Post is refusing to disclose any information related to complaints about mail delivery last year or the end of door-to-door home delivery.

The Star filed two separate requests under the federal Access to Information Act and despite months of wrangling over the wording of the requests Canada Post flatly rejected the requests and is keeping all records secret.

The Star asked for aggregate data and a summary of the types of complaints related to both mail delivery in 2014 and the switch to community mailboxes.

In recent years, the post office has come under fire over its plan to end home delivery as well as mail delivery, in general, including service during Toronto’s 2013 ice storm, when residents complained about no mail delivery for weeks at a time, well into January 2014.

Last October, just before the municipal election, a Brampton car wash owner discovered thousands of flyers including campaign leaflets and real estate mailings stuffed in his trash can. Complaints were lodged, and a mail carrier was quickly identified and fired.

In response to the Star’s requests, the Crown corporation, which only became subject to Access to the Information Act in 2007, said it is keeping the information secret because disclosure of the information “could reasonably be expected to prejudice the competitive position of a government institution or to interfere with contractual or other negotiations of a government institution.”

As well, it said the information being sought “contains trade secrets, or of financial, commercial, scientific or technical information” that belongs to and has consistently been treated as confidential by Canada Post.

This position is in contrast to that taken by other public institutions, including the Toronto Transit Commission and the Toronto Public Library, which regularly disclose complaints when asked.

Complaints filed against foreign and domestic airlines with the Canadian Transportation Agency have also been disclosed when access to information requests are filed. In 2014, Via Rail disclosed, in part, details related to service complaints received from the general public.

The Ontario government has made all complaints against unlicensed daycares available online in a searchable registry so that parents can learn if their caregiver has faced any complaints. The Ministry of Education has also disclosed information related to parent complaints over the introduction of full-day kindergarten.

Michel Drapeau, a law professor at the University of Ottawa who specializes in access to information laws, noted Canada Post has a monopoly on mail delivery in Canada, so it can hardly argue its economic interests could be prejudiced if complaint information is revealed.

He argued that as a public institution it has both a moral and legal duty to provide an accounting to citizens.

“It is pretty obvious to me that what Canada Post is protecting is not its ‘competitive position,’ ” he said, “but its reputation and brand vis-à-vis its consumer base, which regrettably is a captive audience.”

If Canada Post were truly in a competitive business environment, it might lead to improved consumer-centred service, he said.

But Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton said the Star’s requests were evaluated and information was withheld because it was deemed “commercially sensitive.”

He acknowledged that Canada Post has “exclusive privilege” on mail delivery, but “there are all types of products and ways that compete with the mail.”

“Historically, customer complaints and things of that nature have been deemed commercially sensitive,” Hamilton said. “That’s been consistent for a number of years.”

He said Canada Post has been working closely with communities about the switch to community mailboxes and has posted a status report on its website.

The Star, which will appeal this ruling, is also fighting Canada Post’s decision not to disclose details about complaints filed during Toronto’s ice storm. It is also challenging a move by Canada Post to refuse requests asking how much was paid in legal fees in a pay-equity dispute that stretched out over three decades, citing solicitor-client privilege as well as commercial interests.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Those cases illustrate how Canada Post has long been criticized for its failure to disclose information, said University of Ottawa’s Drapeau.

“Canada Post is, to my mind, beyond the pale,” Drapeau said. “They really don’t care. It’s as if they consider themselves above and beyond.”

Read more about: