Montreal's Mayor Took A Jackhammer To A Concrete Slab For A Photo-Op

Coderre angry! Coderre destroy concrete slab!

Denis Coderre is angry with Canada Post.

Ville de Montreal / Via Flickr

The Montreal mayor says the crown corporation has not consulted with municipalities on the locations of so-called "super mailboxes." On Thursday, a new concrete base for a future mailbox was discovered in the l’Anse-à-l’Orme nature park, which Coderre says went in without any input from the city, the Montreal Gazette reported.

Canada Post announced a plan in late 2013 to phase out home delivery.

William Mewes / Via flic.kr

The proposal has spurred fierce backlash from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, many cities, and residents who don't want to trudge several minutes to the communal mailboxes.

Canada Post defends the plan by pointing out that mail volume has dropped significantly due to the internet.

Communal mailboxes are also not new. Many rural communities (not to mention people who live in apartment buildings or keep postal boxes) have been fetching their mail like this for many years.

But that doesn't mean Denis Coderre is happy with how Canada Post is rolling out the new mailboxes.

Shaun Frenette @CTVShaunF

Montreal mayor @DenisCoderre takes jackhammer 2 @canadapostcorp supermailbox platform - VIDEO: http://t.co/2U1y3tu4Gw

10:06 PM - 13 Aug 2015

On Thursday he decided to take his campaign against the super mailboxes beyond mere rhetoric and into the territory of awkward political photo-ops. Accompanied by several other Montreal-area mayors, Coderre took a jackhammer to the concrete slab that was to be the foundation for a future communal mailbox in Montreal's Pierrefonds area.

And it was... not very impressive.

Radio-Canada / Via youtube.com

Maybe wielding a jackhammer effectively is harder than it seems.

Watch it below: Mayor vs. Concrete Slab

youtube.com / Via youtube.com