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No one wants to get a bill in the mail, but some Wildwood Park residents are wondering why some aren’t even reaching their mailboxes.
At least 10 residents in the Winnipeg neighbourhood are reporting they have had credit card bills go missing, as well as paperwork from Manitoba Hydro, Bell MTS and City of Winnipeg property tax bills.
Kathy Allen said her family began noticing certain pieces of mail hadn’t been delivered last month when waiting for a credit card bill which never arrived.
"About four days before the due date I phoned and asked have you sent it out, and they said yes," Allen said, noting she was able to pay the bill in time.
"Then a week-and-a-half ago, I started thinking, ‘I don’t think we’ve got our hydro bill or our telephone bill last month.’ When I phoned Hydro, they said a bill had been sent out and they’ve charged us a small fine. Same with MTS. Then on Monday, I realized we haven’t got our property tax bill. That’s when I called the post office."
A Canada Post employee took down the information about the missing pieces of mail, Allen said.
After speaking with neighbours and reaching out to other residents through the neighbourhood’s Facebook page, she phoned back and spoke to a different Canada Post employee.
"He paused when I said there are ten other people who have missing mail. He said the local delivery depot will be looking into it," she said.
Another area resident, who asked not to be named, said they are also missing a property tax bill.
"To try to get a replacement… I went to the City of Winnipeg website, where it said to call 311," the resident said.
"I tried and tried to get through. I ended up emailing 311 on June 13, and have not heard back."
The Crown corporation is looking into the issue, a spokesman for Canada Post said.
"We take the security of the mail very seriously and are currently investigating this situation," Phil Legault said in a statement Wednesday.
Any customers who believe they have not received a piece of mail should first contact the sender and then, if there are still questions about mail delivery, Canada Post at canadapost.ca/support or by telephone at 1-866-607-6301, Legault said.
The experience is making Allen reconsider how she gets her bills.
"It does make you think whether one should be reliant on Canada Post or just do things online," she said.
"If it turns out this is because someone was sick, then it is not the fault of the carrier but it is the fault of Canada Post for not having sufficient replacements."
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is one of the more versatile reporters at the Winnipeg Free Press. Whether it is covering city hall, the law courts, or general reporting, Rollason can be counted on to not only answer the 5 Ws — Who, What, When, Where and Why — but to do it in an interesting and accessible way for readers.
