Undeliverable and Redirected Mail Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1298)

Short Title

1 These Regulations may be cited as the Undeliverable and Redirected Mail Regulations.

Interpretation

2 In these Regulations,

address mail

address mail[Repealed, SOR/88-442, s. 1]

redirected mail

redirected mail means mail that cannot be delivered as addressed because the addressee has filed with the Corporation a request to redirect mail form; (envoi réexpédié)

request mail

request mail[Repealed, SOR/88-442, s. 1]

request to redirect mail

request to redirect mail[Repealed, SOR/90-16, s. 1]

undeliverable mail

undeliverable mail means mail that for any cause cannot be delivered to the addressee and includes any mail the delivery of which is prohibited by law or is refused by the addressee or on which postage due is not paid by the sender on demand. (objet non livrable ou envoi tombé en rebut ou rebuts)

Application

3 These Regulations apply to undeliverable and redirected mail.

Redirected Mail

4 Subject to sections 5 and 6, and on payment of the applicable fee for a redirection of mail, redirected mail shall be delivered to the addressee at the forwarding address left by that person.

4.1 and 4.2 [Repealed, SOR/94-209, s. 1]

• 5 (1) Where mail is addressed to an individual, or to the attention of an individual, at the address of an organization, an association, a corporation or an establishment that has the character of a commercial enterprise, that mail shall not be redirected by the Corporation for delivery to that individual at a forwarding address in or outside Canada, notwithstanding that the individual has filed with the Corporation a request to redirect mail form.

• (2) Subject to sections 6 and 7, where a person files with the Corporation a request to redirect mail form setting out a forwarding address outside Canada, the Corporation shall redirect that person’s mail to the forwarding address unless the sender of the mail requests that it not be redirected.

• (3) Where redirected mail that is letter mail bears on its cover a request for return to sender and the sender has entered into an agreement with the corporation for such return, it shall be returned to the sender.

• (4) If the name of the addressee on addressed admail is followed by the words “or occupant” or similar wording, that mail shall not be redirected by the Corporation.

• 6 (1) Where redirected mail that is addressed admail bears on its cover a request for return to the sender, it shall be returned to the sender.

• (2) and (3) [Repealed, SOR/94-209, s. 2]

7 Notwithstanding section 6, where an employee of the Corporation believes on reasonable grounds that a person is sending addressed admail by post to obtain a forwarding address that would not otherwise be available to the person, the employee shall redirect the mail to the addressee.

• 8 (1) Redirected mail that is returned to the sender or forwarded to the addressee is subject to accrued postage due charges, if any.

• (2) [Repealed, SOR/91-638, s. 2]

8.1 [Repealed, SOR/94-209, s. 3]

8.2 Where an item of mail that consists of international letters, printed papers, small packets or literature for the blind bears an endorsement on the address side indicating that the item is not to be redirected to the addressee, that item shall be treated as undeliverable mail.

Undeliverable Mail

• 9 (1) Subject to sections 10, 12, 14 and 18, undeliverable mail shall be returned to the sender or forwarded to the addressee on payment of the applicable fee.

• (2) Undeliverable mail that is returned to the sender or forwarded to the addressee is also subject to accrued postage due charges, if any.

• (2.1) Despite subsections (1) and (2), mail that is addressed admail or unaddressed admail shall be withheld from delivery by the Corporation and returned to the sender, if

  • (a) the sender makes a written application to the Corporation for the return of the mail;

  • (b) the sender’s application stipulates the special circumstances that require the mail to be returned, such as an error or omission made by the sender with respect to the mail;

  • (c) the sender enters into an agreement with the Corporation for the return of the mail; and

  • (d) the sender agrees to pay the applicable fee.

Handling Procedure

• 10 (1) Subject to subsection (2), undeliverable mail that bears the return address of the sender on its cover shall

  • (a) if the address of the sender is in Canada, be returned to the sender by the Corporation; and

  • (b) if the address of the sender is outside Canada, be handled pursuant to section 15.

• (2) If an item of undeliverable mail is incentive letter mail as defined in the Canada Postal Guide, addressed admail, publications mail or advertising or promotional matter addressed to householders and bears on its cover the return address of a sender in Canada, it must be handled in a manner set out in the Canada Postal Guide, as it read on June 1, 2010.

11 Undeliverable mail that cannot be redirected or returned to the sender owing to an insufficient or incorrect address on the cover of the mail shall be sent to the appropriate regional undeliverable mail office and

• (a) opened to determine whether it contains the address of the sender or addressee, in the case of mail posted in Canada; or

• (b) handled pursuant to section 15, in the case of mail posted elsewhere than in Canada.

Handling Procedure for Domestic Undeliverable Mail

• 12 (1) Subject to subsection (2), undeliverable mail that is opened pursuant to section 11 and found to contain the address of the sender or addressee in Canada shall be placed under separate cover and returned to the sender or forwarded to the addressee.

• (2) If an item of undeliverable mail that is opened under section 11 is incentive letter mail as defined in the Canada Postal Guide, addressed admail, publications mail or advertising or promotional matter addressed to householders, it must be handled in a manner set out in the Canada Postal Guide, as it read on June 1, 2010.

13 Where undeliverable mail, opened pursuant to section 11, does not contain sufficient information to permit the mail to be returned to the sender or forwarded to the addressee, it shall be handled as follows:

• (a) mail with no obvious value shall be destroyed;

• (b) where the mail contains cash, the cash shall be deposited to the credit of the Canada Post Corporation;

• (c) subject to paragraph (d), where the mail contains merchandise, the merchandise shall be sold or otherwise disposed of in a manner approved by the Canada Post Corporation and the proceeds of such disposition shall be deposited to the credit of the Canada Post Corporation; and

• (d) where the disposition of merchandise in accordance with paragraph (c) would be contrary to any law of Canada or of any province or where, in the opinion of the Canada Post Corporation, the merchandise is dangerous or is of an immoral or indecent character, the merchandise shall be disposed of in a manner approved by the Canada Post Corporation.

Detained Domestic Undeliverable Mail

14 Mail posted in Canada, detained by the Minister under paragraph 47(3)(a) of the Canada Post Corporation Act and declared to be undeliverable mail under paragraph 47(3)(b) or deemed to be undeliverable mail under subsection 47(4) of that Act shall be handled as follows:

• (a) mail

  • (i) with no obvious value,

  • (ii) that contravenes any provision of the Criminal Code or other law of Canada, and

  • (iii) that by order of the Minister may not be returned to the sender

  shall be destroyed; and

• (b) mail, other than that referred to in paragraph (a), shall be handled pursuant to sections 10 to 13.

International Undeliverable Mail

• 15 (1) Undeliverable mail posted elsewhere than in Canada shall be dealt with as follows:

  • (a) where the mail was posted in Australia, Great Britain (including Northern Ireland), the Republic of Ireland, Mexico or the United States with postage thereon paid at the current rate of postage for letters in that country and where the mail bears a return address, with or without a request for return, the mail shall be returned directly to the sender;

  • (b) subject to subsection (1.1), where the mail was posted in a country other than a country mentioned in paragraph (a) with postage thereon paid at the current rate of postage for letters in that country, whether or not the mail bears a return address or request for return, the mail shall be returned to an office of exchange of the country of origin; and

  • (c) mail on which the postage has not been paid at the current rate of postage for letters in the country of origin shall be sent to the appropriate regional undeliverable mail office and handled in accordance with subsections (2) and (3) except that mail referred to in those subsections that is posted in the United States shall be returned to the sender.

• (1.1) Postcards that do not bear a return address and are posted in countries other than those referred to in paragraph (1)(a) shall be destroyed.

• (2) A regional undeliverable mail office shall return

  • (a) undeliverable mail that consists of printed papers and that is registered or bears a request for return, and

  • (b) mail that consists of small packets, literature for the blind or books whether registered or unregistered,

  to the country of origin of the mail.

• (3) A regional undeliverable mail office shall destroy mail that

  • (a) is not registered;

  • (b) consists of undeliverable printed papers posted elsewhere than in Canada; and

  • (c) does not bear a request for return.