community mailboxes, Canada Post

The recently installed Fort MacMurray community mailboxes which were situated on Greely Road have been removed by Canada Post, and the mailboxes were never even activated because the time between installation and removal was so short. Canada Post had stated that the Greely Road location was not acceptable according to the guiding principles of the business, and there were complaints about the newly installed boxes before they were removed. There were issues with accessibility for some, and there were too many of the mailboxes spaces too closely together. According to Anick Losier, who is the media relations director for Canada Post, “We said that we’d be mindful of health and safety, accessibility, plus have a set of standards that just guides our work through the past 30 years or so with community mailboxes. Obviously, the site was too big and we had some concerns as to where it was located, so immediately we made the decision to take it down.”

Some of the most common complaints to Canada Post about the recent community mailboxes on Greely Road included the fact that they were located in a school zone and also situated in an area that has a high amount of traffic. Both of these conditions pose safety risks for those trying to access the community mailboxes. Many residents of Fort MacMurray were negative on a survey that was provided, and some felt that the grouping of mailboxes was too large. Canada United Postal Worker Fort MacMurray local chapter president Chellae Rehbein stated “Once (the Greely Road site) hit social media, they realized what a mistake they’d made and took it down. Community mailboxes cut 8,000 jobs across the country, but this specific location has been our number one fighting spot.”