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William Caithness stands in front of the St. Bonface post office on Provencher Boulevard. Caithness is organizing a demonstration in response to Canada Post’s announcement it may relocate the post office.

Residents of St. Boniface are rallying around the neighbourhood’s post office after Canada Post recently indicated it may relocate its Provencher Boulevard facility.

"We are considering relocating the post office at 208 Provencher Boulevard in St. Boniface," confirmed Anick Losier, director of media relations for Canada Post.

The new facility would be less than half a kilometre away from the current location, Losier said, and would continue to provide bilingual service.

She added Canada Post is not planning on moving the post office into a retail location.

"We want to assure the community it will remain a corporate, bilingual post office," she said.

Losier said the current building lacks a number of amenities including wheelchair and handicapped access.

William Caithness, a Canada Post mail carrier who also lives in St. Boniface, is spearheading a campaign to have the St. Boniface post office remain at its current location on Provencher.

"It’s a place where people have been going to pick up their mail for a hundred years," he said. The post office first opened in 1907.
"Why would they want to move it?" Caithness asked. "To take away the post office, an icon — it just doesn’t make sense."

Caithness has organized a demonstration in front of the post office for April 29 at 4 p.m. and said he expects many community members, as well as representatives from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, to join him.

Despite Canada Post’s reassurances that the new post office would continue to serve customers in both official languages, Caithness said he was concerned about a reduction in French services.

However, he acknowledged the building is in dire need of a ramp to improve accessibility — especially as the number of senior residents in St. Boniface’s continues to grow.

"They should modify the building, even if it costs more," he said, explaining that he’s been told renovating the post office would be costly because it is a historical building.

Caithness’s concern over the loss of French services was echoed in Ottawa on April 20, when Marie Chaput, a Manitoban Liberal senator, raised the matter in the Senate Chamber.

Robert Tyre, president of the Winnipeg chapter of CUPW, said the union is concerned about the possible relocation  for a number of reasons.

"We have concerns about the reduction of services overall," Tyre said. "Also, there’s the concern over the loss of French language services."

Tyre also said that until he sees the plans for a new post office, he is wary of any assurances from Canada Post that the relocation would not affect services for the St. Boniface community.

"Canada Post has told the union many things at many times, and they don’t always quite pan out," he said.

Losier said Canada Post placed poster at the St. Boniface facility on April 23 to alert customers of the possible relocation and invite them to provide feedback on the general level of service in the area.

Customers have 30 days to contact Canada Post with their suggestions and concerns.

arielle.godbout@canstarnews.com