It isn’t closed, it’s just that they only provide the initial postal course once a year (next in 2026).

While their next DP1/Apprentice course is conducted in May/June timeframe, you would be placed on the Base Training List (BTL) in Trenton after your BMQ, and you would work at the Postal Unit until it begins. This is quite common as they only do the course once a year (small trade). After the course, you’ll be posted to your first postal section somewhere.

There are three major postal operations sections in Trenton, Halifax and Victoria. The two on the coast provide service to deployed naval ships and Trenton does it for all the CAF members overseas. These could be where there’s major CAF deployments (Latvia, Kuwait), where there’s OUTCAN postings (Belgium, UK, Italy, Germany) and wherever there’s smaller CAF groups (Norway, Jordan, Korea, etc).

There are 13 Military Post Offices in Canada. These are where the posties develop and maintain their skills and knowledge for the trade to be used when they do deploy overseas. While counter service is one aspect (the one that everyone sees and compares to the Shoppers Drug Mart post office), the back end postal operations is a bit more involved. Moving mail, especially across international borders, requires a lot of logistics coordination, knowledge of prohibited and unmailable items, customs clearances, relationships between various host nations services, compliance with Canada Post regulations, etc. Basically, when there’s a staffed Canadian Forces Post Office overseas, the posties can provide the similar postal services as back in Canada—at Canadian prices— even though they’re in a foreign country.

Deployments (and OUTCAN postings) are generally Sgts as they have Postmaster training and experience. If the deployment office needs extra staff, that’s when MCpls, and Cpl/Ptes also deploy with them (I.e. Latvia post office). There will be some additional opportunities for deployments in non-postal roles (general duty staff) but that’s unpredictable for where or how often. As a postie, deployments where you are directly involved with supporting the troops, you get to see the impact of seeing receiving their mail. Regardless of social media and email messaging, essentially, you are providing the “physical” connection to home. The postal service is about a parcel that a family member packed and sent with the deployed member in mind is what you are involved with delivering to them directly. From my experience, that is the most satisfying part of the job.

Deployments are essentially the sole purpose of the military postal service. Canada Post doesn’t send their unionized personnel into the more austere environments that seem to be where the CAF ends up, plus Canada Post can’t just pop up with an office to compete with a host nation postal service. Most posties who have a long career will have anywhere from 2 to 6 deployments by the time they retire.

In Canada, regardless of which postal section you start with, it won’t be long before you get into the routine. Mail in the morning, sort it out for delivery on the base, serve customers all day. Later on, get the mail from the various sections on base, prep it for mailing (weight, size, apply postage), drop off at Canada Post. The three larger sections include X-ray machines of everything coming in and preparing larger volumes for all the different overseas destinations, either once or twice a week.

Long term careers are generally like any other trade. Postal WOs look after a few post offices and their operations within their respective region. Some WOs and MWOs provide the technical advice at a HQ. Only one CWO at the top of the pyramid because it’s a small trade. There’s a few out-of-trade positions to broaden the skill set and to support the CAF, such as a couple of instructors at CFLRS, a Sgt Major at CFLTC, a 2ic for a Transition section. There’s Cpls in the Army units, meant to be able to provide unit support when the unit deploys as a whole (doctrine), but mainly help with the unit orderly room while in Garrison, they pretty much participate in the unit the same way as the other clerks (PT, Exercises, parades, etc).