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Postal codes in Canada
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===Implementation=== Canada was one of the last Western countries to implement a nationwide postal code system.<ref> {{cite news |last=Rolfe |first=John |date=4 March 1972 |title=Cote denies conflict between ITT contract and personnel exchange with Post Office |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |page=B3 }}</ref> The introduction of the postal code began with a test in [[Ottawa]] on 1 April 1971.<ref> {{cite news |title=Postal code service for Canada to be inaugurated on April first |page=5 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OPgvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FkkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2963%2C3400343 |newspaper=[[The Stanstead Journal]] |date=18 March 1971 }} </ref> Coding of Ottawa was followed by a provincial-level rollout of the system in [[Manitoba]], and the system was gradually implemented in the rest of the country from 1972 to 1974, although the nationwide use of the code by the end of 1974 was only 38.2 per cent.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LhQyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2qEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5781%2C1205627 |title=Will 'gentle persuasion' aid postal code? |page=9 |first=Guy |last=Demarino |newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]] |date=7 January 1975 }}</ref> The introduction of such a code system allowed Canada Post to easily speed up and simplify the flow of mail in the country, with sorting machines being able to handle 26,640 objects an hour.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yNhRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GG8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2430%2C3385833 |title=New postal code for all of Canada to speed delivery and avoid errors |page=19 |newspaper=L'Avenir |date=30 January 1973 }}</ref> The [[Canadian Union of Postal Workers]] objected to the automated sorting system, mainly because the wages for those who ran the new automated machines were much lower than for those who had hand-sorted mail.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XrYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jOwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1584%2C2090904 |title=Boycotts Ordered: Postmen Declare Automation War |page=113 |newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen|Saturday Citizen]] |date=5 June 1974 }}</ref> The unions ended up staging job action and public information campaigns, with the message that they did not want people or businesses to use postal codes on their mail.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nog1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=9KEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1409%2C1757737 |title=Quick mail only without postal codes |page=5 |first=Irwin |last=Block |newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]] |date=7 June 1974 }}</ref> The union declared 20 March 1975 to be National "Boycott the Postal Code" Day, also demanding a reduction in the work week from 40 to 30 hours.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-woyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=16EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2367%2C534713 |title=Postal workers vote on contract demands |page=5 |first=Joan |last=Boaden |newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]] |date=19 March 1975 }} </ref> The boycott was called off in February 1976 after a new collective agreement was signed with the CUPW.<ref> {{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lZkuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tqEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=947%2C277033 |title=Postal union chiefs claim pact violated, threaten to retaliate |page=3 |first=Michelle |last=Morissette |newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]] |date=17 September 1976 }} </ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Morissette |first=M. |date=September 17, 1976 |title=Postal union chiefs claim pact violated, threaten to retaliate |work=The Montreal Gazette |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lZkuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tqEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=947%2C277033}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kovacaj |first=Fiona |date= |title=Boycott Movements |url=https://exhibits.library.utoronto.ca/exhibits/show/unionbuttonproject/boycotts |access-date=June 6, 2023 |website=University of Toronto Exhibits}}</ref> <!-- GA β Uncited material cloaked ----- Typists also criticized the decision to make the code alphanumeric, arguing that an all-number code was far easier to type. Canada Post defended this decision by stating that the all-number system in the United States had failed as there were too few combinations.{{Fact|date=January 2009}} --> One 1975 advertisement in the Toronto magazine ''Byliner'' generated controversy by showing a man writing a postal code on the bottom of a [[G-string|thonged]] woman with the following ditty: <blockquote>"We're not 'stringing' you along,<br> Use postal codes β you'll 'thing' our 'thong',<br> Don't be cheeky β you've all got 'em<br> Please include them on the bottom."<ref name="rodriguez">{{Cite web |title=House of Commons Debates, 30th Parliament, 1st ... - Canadian Parliamentary Historical Resources |url=https://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC3001_07/284?r=0&s=1 |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=parl.canadiana.ca}}</ref></blockquote> The advertisement was denounced as "sexist garbage" in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] by [[New Democratic Party of Canada|NDP]] MP [[John Rodriguez (politician)|John Rodriguez]], prompting an apology from [[Postmaster General of Canada|Postmaster General]] [[Bryce Mackasey]].<ref name="rodriguez" />
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