A Sapperton resident is less than impressed with Canada Post’s mail delivery in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Craig Nichols, who lives in a house near Richard McBride Elementary school, said he’s only received mail two days since the first snowflake hit the ground two weeks ago. Aside from deliveries on Dec. 6 and 8, he said he’s had no mail delivered to his home.
“No Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Nothing this week,” he told the Record on Dec. 16. “I went to the depot and they could only dig out one envelope, which is almost impossible. My wife sends out 150 Christmas cards. I am the treasurer for the football referees’ association and I need cheques to pay my referees, and they are in the mail. We have ordered stuff from Groupon, a whole bunch of Christmas orders and they haven’t even arrived yet. Those things are usually two-day delivery.”
If the mail can’t be delivered door-to-door, he’d prefer to see Canada Post build community mail boxes where residents in certain areas can pick up their own mail.
“There is no delivery,” he said of his house. “According to Winnipeg and according to the depot, they are understaffed, over-volumed and their vehicles are getting stuck in the snow, and certain sections of town aren’t getting any mail delivery.”
Nichols is baffled why postal carriers have been able to deliver mail after snowfalls in past years, but don’t seem to be able to do it at this time.
“I’ll give full credit – our regular postie is a great person. Always on time. Never a problem,” he said. “All of a sudden a snowflake hits the ground and Vancouver and New Westminster shuts down.”
In addition to phoning his member of Parliament to complain about the service he’s getting, he called Bonavista-Burin-Trinity MP Judy Foote’s office, as she’s the minister responsible for Canada Post. While he doesn’t generally have a problem with Canada Post, Nichols said he’s frustrated about the lack of delivery and the difficulty he’s had in getting concrete information about his mail.
“I just want my mail,” he said.
Canada Post did not respond to a request for information about mail delivery by the Record’s deadline.
