Lack of communication, lack of mail decried

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This article was published 12/05/2022 (1409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Kildonan residents say Canada Post needs to do a better job managing mail disruptions, after nearly two weeks of having to drive five kilometres to pick up cheques and bills.

“I don’t know what kind of people they have working there; it’s infuriating,” said Myron Krywyj, who lives on Kilbride Avenue.

His Winnipeg street has been partially closed for construction, meaning some of the community mailboxes stopped receiving mail in late April.

Anxious to get a cheque to supplement his disability payments, Krywyj says he had to call multiple Canada Post offices to learn what was causing the disruption, and how he could pick up his mail.

The Crown corporation told him to get to a Church Avenue warehouse in the Inkster industrial park, a 30-minute bus ride away.

Krywyj was baffled Canada Post didn’t notify anyone about the disruption, given the City of Winnipeg posted a notice about upcoming construction dates.

“They put junk mail in our boxes all the time. How come they couldn’t just put a letter in each one, saying, ‘Your service will be temporarily interrupted; you can pick your mail up at this location?’” he said.

“Just give us a notification; one piece of paper in each mailbox, or just put a sign up.”

His friend, Fred De Villa, had the same confusion.

“I think every resident in this area… didn’t get anything during these two weeks,” he said. “Everyone’s been worried about what happened.”

De Villa said it only makes sense for mail to not arrive when the snow is “knee-high” on the sidewalk. “But the weather now is really different,” he said with a laugh.

He made a trip to Church Avenue last week, and ended up having just one piece of mail.

“It’s too far from here,” he said.

“I worry about my bills coming and not being able to pay. Seniors I spoke to said they’re also concerned, because they’re expecting some money from the government.”

De Villa had asked whether certain neighbours had mail waiting, but the Canada Post clerk wouldn’t tell him, citing privacy issues.

Krywyj argued the local pharmacy that holds parcels could have distributed letter mail so people who don’t have direct deposit could get cheques.

Canada Post said it resumed mail delivery Wednesday, after the construction foreman confirmed the sidewalk was safely accessible.

“Our operations team has been closely monitoring the progress of construction as it moves up Kilbride Avenue,” wrote spokesman Phil Legault.

“Mail delivery to the community mailboxes was attempted but wasn’t always available on a daily basis, because of safety concerns for our delivery agents and customers.”

Krywyj argued the postal service could have at least told its customers about the issue. The Crown corporation did not explain its protocols for mail disruption.

“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and thank them for their patience and understanding,” wrote Legault.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca