Fractionals

Canada Post is a crown corporation; it isn't supposed to be in the income-transfer business. Perhaps libraries should increase their revenues to cover their costs, instead of lobbying for something that probably just isn't going to happen.

And really, it makes a lot more accounting sense for this subsidy to be properly identified rather than hidden within the bureaucracy of Canada Post. That way, everything is transparent.

Firstly:

he said that its legislation "also says that [it has] a duty to a public or a social good, so it's well within their mandate to continue a special rate for libraries."

Income transfer business or not, this falls within the sort of thing Canada post is supposed to be doing.

And secondly, I must have missed the point when I argued that the subsidy shouldn't be properly identified, or when I argued that to be continued it must be hidden. I didn't argue either point because I don't agree with them. I'm not sure why you're bringing this point up at all.

How should libraries increase their revenues? And are they supposed to be in the revenue creating business in the first place? Or are the supposed to serve a public good?

(Deleted and re-done to fix a typo)

Actually, I do think that libraries should earn revenue. If it weren't for unfair competition from government-subsidized libraries, I'd be willing to bet on the existence of successful for-profit and non-profit libraries in every part of the country, each able to survive and prosper from its own rightfully-earned revenue.

But then, that's the main difference between you and me. ;-)

Ah, I didn't make the question specific enough. I wasn't trying to ask whether you think there should be libraries that are in the revenue generating business - I was trying to ask whether you thought these ones are in that business. And I think I have an answer from you in any case.

I'd love to believe that people like libraries that much, by the way, but after five years in one of them I can't. Especially in rural parts of the country. And how could you have interlibrary loans among competing branches? In any case, I think the odd branch would flourish, but not throughout "every part of the country".