Created: 2025.11.28
In my ongoing frustration with the Canadian Government visa-vi Canada Post and the rest of the Government kowtowing to Canada Post.
I went in to renew my passport this week (2025.11.17)
I filled out all the paperwork 'correctly'.
The lady at Service Canada was very polite, but firm.
She entered my postal address, no problem.
Then she said: I need a postal code for your physical address.
I replied "I don't have one - my PHYSICAL address doesn't have a POSTAL code, if you want you can try using the mailing address postal code".
She asked me to manually write it on the form. I said "So you are asking me to lie on a government form?" She replied "It's not my fault the program requires I enter a postal code".
So … I knowingly had to falsify a government document at the government's request to meet the incompetence of the government.
She then typed it in and says "That Postal code is invalid for your physical address that postal address is for Crossfield, I need the Postal code for the physical address." She then said "The program was recently upgraded and we HAVE to provide a postal code for physical addresses now." (Me: Look of incredulity)
Note: My postal address is in Crossfield. My physical address is in Rocky View County.
So I did a search and found the physically closest Postal code to my PHYSICAL address.
She typed it in and said "No - the computer won't accept that - that doesn't match your physical address."
I said - then put my postal address in for the physical address. She replied something like "No, it won't accept a PO box # for a physical address, you have to provide me a physical address with a valid postal code."
30 minutes later, after repeatedly offering other random postal codes in the neighborhood, somehow she got the computer to accept something - when I asked what she said "I just did a manual and eventually it let me do it, but it isn't the government's fault if your passport can't be delivered because you didn't provide a valid postal code for your physical address." blah blah etc..,
Again the agent was trying to be helpful, I'm not trying to insult her … but her and my comments are about incompetent programmers who live in an urban environment and don't understand the country of Canada or perhaps their political masters who have insisted that every person with a physical address should suffer if Canada Posts refuses to give them a POSTAL code for their PHYSICAL address.
In the end, she told me if my passport doesn't arrive, it isn't the government's fault, that I'll have to deal with the couriers, because it was my fault that I didn't provide a valid postal code.
When I first moved in about 15 years ago, the post master said they'd be assigning me a postal code for my location, but despite multiple requests every couple years - nada.
Basically, I'm tired of being treated badly by the government and couriers just because Canada Post refuses to assign me a postal code.
I can understand the Couriers being jerks about it. But the Canadian Government?? Blaming ME because I don't have a postal code for my PHYSICAL address? Come on - that is blatant stupidity on the part of the programmers in Ottawa who aren't aware that the word "POSTAL" refers to the Post office.