Canada Post Regulations Update

Summary#

These are final changes called Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Canada Post Corporation Act (Miscellaneous Program) (SOR/2021-91). They tweak wording in several Canada Post rules to make them clearer, set a minimum card/postcard weight of 2 g, and update references to the international postal rules in the Decisions of the 2016 Istanbul Congress. The amendments came into force on May 1, 2021.

What it does#

• Updates the definition of the Universal Postal Convention to point explicitly to the Decisions of the 2016 Istanbul Congress (the UPU text used as the reference).
• Requires cards and postcards to be made of material that gives enough stiffness to be machine-processed and to weigh at least 2 g (added in both the International Letter-post Items Regulations and the Letter Mail Regulations).
• Fixes a French-language phrasing in the Letter Mail Regulations to clarify a wording about loose coins.
• Clarifies where the postal code must appear on addressed items (must be on the last line and either alone or separated by at least two spaces).
• Sets exact placement rules for postal codes on the front of envelopes: at least 19 mm from the bottom edge, 12 mm from the left edge and 15 mm from the right edge, and outside the postage-meter area.
• Updates the Non-mailable Matter Regulations so items prohibited by the UPU (including those in article 19 and relevant parts of the Final Protocol) explicitly reference the Decisions of the 2016 Istanbul Congress.
• These are technical and wording fixes intended to harmonize the regulations and make them easier to follow.

Who's affected#

• People and businesses that make or send cards and postcards (printers, greeting-card companies, mailers).
• Regular mail users who prepare envelopes (the postal-code placement rules affect how you should address mail).
• Organizations and individuals sending international mail that might be restricted under the UPU rules (the updated references make the banned-item list clearer).
• Canada Post Corporation, mail processors, and postal staff who apply the rules.
• It’s not clear that any other groups are affected; the government says there are no extra costs and no expected impact on small businesses.

Why it matters#

• Clearer rules reduce confusion about what can be mailed and how to prepare items so they pass automated sorting. A minimum 2 g weight helps ensure cards survive machine processing.
• Specific postal-code placement and margin measurements help improve automated reading and delivery accuracy.
• Pointing to the exact UPU document (the Decisions of the 2016 Istanbul Congress) makes it easier for senders and postal operators to find the international rules about prohibited items, which affects safety and compliance for international mail.
• The government says these are technical corrections with no added cost to businesses or the public.