I have heard from you that the wait times for service are unacceptable, many residents don’t have transportation to Harbour Grace to collect their mail, that the Canada Post employees will be burnt out before Christmas, and even rumours of physical altercations. Let me be clear, this is unacceptable.

On Friday, I met with Mayor Paul Brazil and council to listen to their concerns and suggestions to fix this problem. Since then, I have been in constant contact with Minister FilomenaTassi, and representatives from Canada Post in an effort to impress upon them the absolute necessity of returning mail service to the community.

 

Canada Post has advised that due to the unexpected closure of the retail postal outlet in Spaniard’s Bay, they had to make a quick decision on how best to provide mail delivery to the residents while a permanent solution is established. For reference, Canada Post asks for 6 months notice of a retail outlet closure, but in this situation, they were given 2 weeks notice. I have been assured that this is a temporary measure, and that Canada Post is exploring all options to secure a new retailer in the community.

 

Many people have pointed to an offer by the town to use town hall for mail delivery, and while I too think this would be a fantastic solution, Canada Post has advised me that this wasn’t logistically possible under such short notice. This is still a proposal that I am pushing to have considered by Canada Post as a longer-term solution.

 

Rest assured that I will continue to keep the residents of both Spaniard’s Bay and Harbour Grace updated with any new information I receive. Thank you for reaching out and sharing with me your experiences. I too am frustrated by this change and will continue to work with all parties involved until mail service is back in Spaniard’s Bay, where it belongs.