Canadian passport renewal
Replies: 38 - Last Post: Feb 21, 2013 8:51 AM Last Post By: truenic
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Darn it-can't edit.That said, it does cost them something to send it by mail. More than just the postage stamp.
The time an employee spends with someone picking it up can't be more than 2 minutes. Is their 2 minutes really worth $10? If so, they are being seriously overpaid. (Yes, there's overhead, blah blah blah). But there's also labour involved in mailing the passport out. Maybe the same amount of time? Plus the cost of mailing.
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Finally! Canada is entering the 21st century!23
truenic, maybe they charge extra for pickup in an attempt to reduce the early congestion at the passport office. It costs plenty o' dough to staff and maintain and pay rent at a downtown Vancouver site. Big rush in the morning, then all those lefetime tenrued staff sit on their highly paid plus benefits thumb the rest of the day. Might be cheaper to have an office with a steady work flow , mailing them out.25
Out of curiosity, I checked on rates. The cheapest, leaving out of Sinclair Centre (passport office) was $9.97. If I used the postal code on the Xpressport envelope (where it said to return to if undeliverable) it was $17 and change. Even if you cut that in half because of a deal they have with Canada Post, I'm still not seeing the savings.tp-they have to pay rent on that place regardless of whether or not it's busy or insanely busy, that doesn't really hold. And I have never heard of the Vancouver passport office being quiet. It's always busy.
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I have and see no problems that "EX-PATS" pay more since they are not contributing members of the Canadians who are still paying taxes in Canada!!!Not only this but there's more work involved in getting a passport while abroad. Since you likely don't have a qualified guarantor where you are (I didn't when I applied four years ago in Guangzhou) you need to complete another statutory declaration in lieu of guarantor, put a few names on there, and Passport Canada confirms with those people who you are. These services aren't free. Anyway I had no hassles applying while abroad and I don't expect to be hassled later this year when I do it again.
Citizenship is a right of birth, a travel document is not.
People used to moan about Canada being the only developed country with a five year passport. There is/was an advantage to that (the 5 yr passport, not the moaning), but most people didn't see it and the government never really advertised it, but new security features can be introduced more quickly into 5 year passports than 10 year ones.
Let the sniping continue !!
