BY KEITH LACEY
Almost 230 homeowners in Hanmer have had home delivery of their
mail cancelled and they’re not very happy about it.
Canada Post confirms home delivery for these homeowners has been
cancelled and they hope to have community mailboxes installed
before the end of June.
Canada Post cancelled home delivery after a mail carrier
complained of “unsafe working conditions” on his route. Area
homeowner Richard Pulsifer isn’t buying what the Crown corporation
is trying to sell.
A public meeting was held last week in Hanmer with Nickel Belt
MP Ray Bonin and members of Canada Post’s corporate communications
team. They didn’t provide satisfactory answers to many tough
questions, said Pulsifer.
“The two guys from Canada Post were simply talking heads who had
no interest whatsoever in what the residents affected by this
decision had to say,” said Pulsifer. “We were all told point blank
home delivery was finished, we were going to have to accept
community mail boxes and that was it.
“They kept repeating there were unsafe working conditions, but
they wouldn’t elaborate when people kept asking them for
details.
“A week before Easter, Canada Post simply stopped delivering the
mail...there was no warning and they didn’t tell anyone in
advance.”
Tom Dalby, manager of corporate communications for Canada Post,
said many homeowners were upset during the meeting and didn’t
understand why the corporation made the decision to stop home
delivery.
Under the collective agreement with Canada Post’s union, when a
mail carrier complains about unsafe working conditions, an
investigation is launched, said Dalby.
An investigation was launched, and it was concluded the route in
question is unsafe along Dupuis Dr. and other homes nearby, said
Dalby.
“The roads involved are unsafe for any kind of rural home
delivery,” said Dalby. “There’s not only fairly heavy traffic and
high speeds, but over most of the roads, the shoulders are either
not there or inadequate when our mail carriers park their vehicles
to make deliveries.
“The shoulders are not strong enough or wide enough and they’ve
been deemed a safety hazard...and we have no choice but to suspend
service.”
What upsets Pulsifer and most of his neighbours is Canada Post
officials wouldn’t listen to any alternatives and have quickly made
a decision without any consultation outside of this hastily-called
meeting last week.
“They’re just trying to jam this down our throats,” he said.
“They won’t consider any alternatives though the union has many
suggestions they believe could continue home delivery.”
Pulsifer said he believes Canada Post has a mandate to save
money by cutting most rural service and installing community mail
boxes in as many jurisdictions as possible.
For the past three weeks, the affected homeowners have had to
spend time and gas money to collect their mail at the Hanmer post
office. Most of them are very upset about what’s happened, said
Pulsifer.
“We know home delivery is gone and we’re not happy about it,” he
said. “What’s the most upsetting is not being given any notice and
being told we have no choice...What gets me the most is the
heavy-handedness and unwillingness to listen to any of us.”
Dalby reiterated Canada Post “has no choice” but to halt home
delivery on routes deemed unsafe by mail carriers. To appease
residents, post office hours in Hanmer have been extended to 8 pm
from Monday to Friday, and those hours will remain until community
mail boxes are installed over the next few weeks, said Dalby.
Dalby disagrees this is a measure by Canada Post to save money.
“We have the added expense of putting the boxes in place...there
will be added expense, not a cut in costs.”
Dalby did say Canada Post is “experimenting” in two rural
communities with populations in excess of 30,000 people—one in New
Brunswick and another in Quebec—where all mail is being delivered
via community boxes.
“It may not occur in our lifetime, but we are experimenting with
rural delivery,” he said.
Bonin received numerous calls about the situation, but said there’s little he can do. Canada Post’s contract with its union specifies workers can refuse unsafe work.
