Residents fear mailbox crime sprees

Some North End residents are concerned new community mailboxes will become a target for vandalism and crime after the base of one was recently lit ablaze — before it was even installed.

The community mailboxes started to show up on Andrews Street within the last two weeks. Some have been installed, while at other locations, only the concrete foundation is in place.

“They just dumped them on the boulevard,” said Stephen Giesbrecht, who lives beside one of the boxes in the St. John’s neighbourhood. “They dumped them on the corner and then they were gone.”

One of the concrete slabs has already played host to a fire and some of the hardware needed to install the mailbox melted.

Giesbrecht worries the vandalism is a sign of things to come.

“Somebody’s going to get annoyed they that they can’t get into it and they’re going to set it on fire,” he said. “Or they’re going to knock it over — It doesn’t take much to get into these.”

The federal government announced last September Canada Post would undergo a transformation due to money troubles — it was losing approximately $10 million a day. It announced the plan phase out of door-to-door delivery beginning April 16.

Four million addresses are set to be converted to community mailboxes over the next five years in Canada, starting with 136,000 between now and early 2027.

Canada Post said in a statement to the Free Press the new boxes have been in use for 12 years across Canada.

“They have proven to be reliable through Canada’s four seasons and in communities across all regions” including Winnipeg, the statement said.

Giesbrecht doesn’t think the boxes will last in Winnipeg, especially on his street, which he referred to as a “criminal super highway.”

Giesbrecht and his wife, Tara, also worry their yard will become a dumping ground for junkmail and flyers. They’re even more concerned for seniors in the area who will have to make a trip to collect their letters.

“There’s a lot of elderly people around here,” he said.

The Canada Post spokesperson did not address questions about the vandalized boxes, only saying the Crown corporation worked with local officials and the city to “identify secure locations for the new community mailboxes.”

The spokesperson wouldn’t say where in Winnipeg the mailboxes were currently being delivered but said Canada Post anticipates having more than 370 community mailboxes serving nearly 16,000 addresses in the city during the first phase of the rollout.

Residents with postal codes starting with R2W, R3E and R3H can expect mail delivery to start at the community boxes in October.

Canada Post said those who need assistance with mail delivery can apply to its delivery accommodation program, which may offer home delivery for some customers.

Daria Suslova, out for a walk to check out the new mailboxes on Andrews Street, said she couldn’t wait until they’re operational.

“Me personally, I think it’s a great idea,” said Suslova, calling the boxes nice and clean. “It’s like rural areas.”

She welcomed the security of having a mailbox with a key.

“Even if you receive a package nowadays, from Amazon or anything, and it’s on your porch, it’s not secure,” she said. “If you have sensitive letters, it’s not even secure on your own (property) there is no lock. No key. Nothing.”

She feels the nearby fire was a “one off” and said she hasn’t heard of other mailboxes in the city being targeted.

Another area resident, Harriet Quiring, wasn’t sure if the boxes would be more secure or a magnet for trouble. With a new box installed right outside her fence, Quiring said she won’t be responsible for any injuries as people try to navigate icy sidewalks to get their mail.

“I’m not shovelling that, no way,” said the 66-year-old cancer survivor. “I’m a senior.”

She said the government was putting people at risk by taking away home delivery.

“Who is going to pay for the people that fall and break their leg, hurt themselves, or God forbid, (break) a hip?” she asked. “That’s not my job.”

morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca