Nov 5, 2026
On Nov. 16, letter carriers will stop walking up to roughly 18,000 front doors in Etobicoke. If your postal code starts with M9V or M9W, your mail won’t be coming to your door anymore — you’ll pick it up from a shared, locked community mailbox located down the street or around the block.
It’s the first GTA stop in a five-year plan to move about four million Canadian addresses off door-to-door delivery. For most households, the shift is just a matter of convenience. But for anyone who still gets government cheques, bank cards or tax slips by mail, a less frequent trip to the mailbox can mean a delayed payment or a piece of personal data left exposed.
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Here is a look at when your neighbourhood makes the jump, plus a few smart money moves you’ll want to tackle before the transition hits.
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Which GTA postal codes lose home delivery, and when?
Canada Post confirmed in April that Etobicoke’s M9V and M9W codes are part of a first national wave of about 136,000 address conversions.
After Etobicoke, the rollout runs through 2031, based on a postal code schedule Canada Post shared with CTV News:
- Ajax, Pickering, Mississauga and Brampton between September and November 2027
- Many Scarborough codes (those starting with M1) in October 2028 and October 2029
- Most of downtown Toronto, parts of North York and Orangeville in September 2031
Early-scheduled neighborhoods usually border areas that already have community mailboxes, according to Canada Post. To find your date, match the first three characters of your postal code to the full schedule.
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Why is Canada Post ending door delivery?
It’s all about cost. Door delivery costs about $284 per address per year, compared with $162 for a community mailbox, according to Canada Post’s 2025 annual report. Ottawa has said the full conversion could save close to $400 million a year.
Don’t worry — you won’t pay for the new mailbox. Canada Post says it maintains the boxes, including clearing snow and replacing locks.
What could the switch actually cost you?
The real costs are indirect, and most of them come down to timing and security.
- Payments that sit longer. When mail stops arriving at the door, people check it far less often. A tax refund cheque, a replacement credit card or a time-sensitive notice can sit in a compartment for days before anyone picks it up.
- Parcel trips. Over 80% of packages fit into community mailboxes, says Canada Post. Larger parcels and those needing a signature are delivered to the door or held at a nearby post office, which can mean an extra errand.
- Identity theft. Canada Post warns that thieves target mail, including mail people throw out. Never dump financial mail in bins near a shared mailbox site.
What if walking to a mailbox isn’t realistic for you?
Seniors and people with disabilities can apply to Canada Post’s free Delivery Accommodation Program, which already serves more than 17,000 households. Options include accessible compartments or weekly home delivery — available seasonally, temporarily or permanently. You can apply online or by calling 1-844-454-3009.
What to do now
Even if your neighbourhood isn’t scheduled until 2030 or later, most of these steps cost nothing and protect you right away:
- Check your postal code’s first three characters against the GTA schedule
- Sign up for Canada Revenue Agency direct deposit so tax refunds and benefit payments go straight to your bank account
- Set up CPP and OAS direct deposit through My Service Canada Account, not the CRA
- Switch bank statements, credit card statements and utility bills to paperless where you can
- Shred financial mail at home instead of tossing it at the mailbox
- Report missing mail to Canada Post and suspected identity theft to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501
Helping an aging parent? Switch their cheques to direct deposit first to eliminate the biggest risk before the move. If they’ll need help getting to the mailbox, Canada Post spokesperson Genevieve Joly told CP24 the company would “really encourage folks to look into” the accommodation program.
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Amy Tokic is an SEO content editor for Money.ca. She holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Windsor. Amy is an award-winning author and has been writing professionally for 15 years, publishing articles in the lifestyle and health sectors.
