What’s going on with Canada Post?

My local postmaster once warned me that I will have more trouble sending things to Canada than to any other country in the western world but I paid little attention. However, that changed when Mark Nestmann, author of The Lifeboat Strategy, e-mailed this reference to me: http://admin.siue.edu/postal/postal_regs.htm. In the quotation below, I underline the scariest part:

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS: Addressee and Sender's MUST be spelled out with full first and last names. Using "Grandma" or "Uncle" is not acceptable. The complete address of the sender, including ZIP code and country of origin, must be shown in the upper left hand corner of the address side of the package, envelope or card. Addressee to recipients in Canada MUST be printed - preferably in ink or typewritten -- using capital letters.

Could this be true? I immediately sent letters to Canadian friends from Ontario to the Yukon with no return address. All were received, but how long will this last?

Suggestion: When mailing a letter to Canada, use a return address other than your own. Some may choose to use a fake address but I do not recommend it. If a letter is not going to be delivered, I wish to know that, and the only way to know it is to have the letter returned. For sensitive mail, therefore, I use one of the ghost addresses listed on my website. My favorite is the one in the Canary Islands.