Canada Post Ends Door-to-Door Mail in Etobicoke Nov. 16. Here's When the Rest of the GTA Follows

Door-to-door mail delivery in north Etobicoke ends in less than two weeks, and Canada Post has now laid out when the rest of the Greater Toronto Area will follow. The answer for most of the region: some time in the next five years, with downtown Toronto among the last to switch.

Canada Post will end at-home delivery in Etobicoke on Nov. 16, affecting homes with M9V and M9W postal codes. From then on, those residents will pick up their mail from community mailboxes. CBC News reports the GTA-wide rollout will start later this month in North Etobicoke and roll out in phases over the next five years.

Who goes next

After Etobicoke, the next GTA neighbourhoods to switch are in Durham and Peel regions, starting with Ajax, Pickering, Mississauga and Brampton, between September and November 2027. Canada Post's own list puts parts of Ajax (L1S, L1T) and Pickering (L1V, L1W, L1X) in September 2027, and those dates are "subject to change."

According to the schedule Canada Post provided to CTV News, several Scarborough postal codes, including M1B, M1C, M1E, M1P and M1S, are slated for October 2028. Midtown and North York codes such as M4N, M4P, M4R and M5M follow in November 2029, and much of the west end, including M6G, M6H, M6J and M6K, in October 2030.

The last areas to convert are scheduled for September 2031, including Orangeville, parts of North York and most of downtown Toronto. That final batch includes core downtown codes such as M5A, M5B, M5C, M5H, M5T and M5V.

Canada Post told CP24 the order reflects "national planning, operational requirements, and logistical considerations," and that earlier areas in big cities are next to neighbourhoods already served by community mailboxes. In April, the Crown corporation said it understands converting dense urban cores poses additional challenges and would handle them in later stages.

Why it's happening

The GTA changes are part of a national plan to move about four million addresses that still get door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes over about five years. Canada Post calls the shift a key part of its plan to return to financial self-sustainability, saying delivery to the door costs significantly more than delivery to a community mailbox. CBC has described the effort as part of a restructuring meant to keep the corporation viable under crushing debt.

"80 per cent of Canadians already receive their mail through community mailboxes," Canada Post spokesperson Genevieve Joly told CP24.

What it means for Toronto

A July report to city council showed how big the change will be. Canada Post delivers to 1,199,509 residential addresses in Toronto, and 540,801 of them get door-to-door delivery. Another 614,852 get delivery to apartment lobbies, and only 26,055 use community mailboxes. In Ward 1 Etobicoke North alone, Canada Post proposed converting 15,522 residential addresses. In April, the corporation had given a rough figure of 18,000 addresses for the M9V and M9W area.

The same report said Canada Post told the city not all door-to-door routes may be converted; some dense urban areas or business corridors may not suit community mailboxes. City staff wrote that a pause just for Toronto was unlikely, and that Canada Post does not pay municipalities for reviewing mailbox sites or using public rights-of-way. The city told CP24 it is still reviewing proposed locations to understand "any potential impacts on residents, accessibility, public space and city operations."

Help for seniors and people with disabilities

Residents who can't easily get to a community mailbox can apply to Canada Post's Delivery Accommodation Program, which is free. It can offer sliding trays, Braille features or a more accessible compartment, and in some cases weekly home delivery on a seasonal, temporary or permanent basis. Applications can be made online or by calling 1-844-454-3009.

Canada Post also says it is responsible for maintaining the mailboxes, including clearing snow, and that parcels that don't fit or need a signature will be delivered to the door or held at a nearby post office.