In the battle against community mailboxes, varying tactics have been employed. A Dorval man bought a pile of dirt and had it dumped on his lawn to prevent the mailbox from being built on his lawn. Mayor Denis Coderre tried to take one down himself with a jackhammer.
But Dollard des Ormeaux resident John Benizri is taking the legal approach – with the help of his nephew, he intends to launch a class-action lawsuit against Canada Post. The suit claims that people living near the mailboxes are suffering from major inconveniences, including a drop in property value.
Canada Post installed a community box next to his property and he says it’s been a major disturbance ever since.
“Cars were coming, three, four, five cars at a time, car doors slamming at all times of the day or night,” he said.
Benizri also complains about trash which regularly piles up because of junk mail. But his biggest frustration: a loss of privacy.
“People were coming looking through our fence. We have a pool and my wife doesn't have her privacy,” he said.
Benizri's nephew Jamie Benizri is a lawyer, and Jamie decided to file a request for a class-action suit against Canada Post on behalf of everyone affected by the new mailboxes.
“Anyone who's directly affected, meaning anyone who has that metal mailbox on their property or anyone within a 10-metre radius of that mailbox is invited to join the class once authorized and as we move forward,” he said.
A class-action first has to be approved by the courts before it can go ahead. The lawsuit is seeking a yet-to be-determined amount in financial compensation for property owners affected.
Canada Post declined an interview request, saying they can't comment because the case is currently before the courts.
Jamie Benizri says the lawsuit is anything but frivolous, pointing out it’s also a matter of property values.
Canada Post is also facing a legal challenge by the city of Montreal, among others.
