Plans for new and improved mail service between the U.S. and Canada were set in motion last week in Washington with the signing of new service agreements between the U.S. Postal Service and Canada Post Corp.
Postmaster General William J. Henderson and CPC Chairman AndreOuelett signed the agreements last Friday at USPS headquarters.
Officials of both postal services said the agreements generally call for a variety of undetermined products and services; the enhancement of existing products and services; and the speedier delivery of cross-border mail, including catalogs and other direct mail pieces, via the USPS’s Global Direct-Canada Admail program, providing U.S. direct marketers, catalogers and mass mailers easier access to the Canadian market.
The service, tested for five months before being made permanent by the USPS, promises delivery within five to 10 business days to addresses in Canada’s major urban areas, and, will provide local business reply and undeliverable mail return service at rates, determined by size, weight and sortation level, ranging from 45 cents for items weighing less than 1.06 ounces to 65 cents per piece for mail weighing between 1.06 ounces and 1.76 ounces, with an additional charge of 3.5 cents for mail pieces failing to meet CPC’s minimum standards.
Henderson and Ouelett, in separate statements, described the agreements, resulting from months of intense negotiations, as being “a strong commitment on both sides to ensure our customers’ mail moves more efficiently across our borders.”
The U.S., they noted, provides more than 70% of Canada’s international business while Canada accounts for more than 30% of the U.S. inbound and outbound international mail.
