You've got no mail: Thousands of Richmond residents frustrated by repeated mailbox vandalism
City is one of the worst in Canada for mailbox vandalism and mail theft says union
Getting mail has become a major chore for Richmond resident Albert Wong.
One month after his townhouse mailbox was vandalized for the third time, he's still having to drive to the Canada Post Richmond depot on River Road to line up and personally collect his mail.
"It's inconvenient for sure," said Wong.
"Sometimes the lineup stretches outside. I only get Fridays as my one day off and because of the limited hours [for mail pickup], I really have to make an effort to come out here."
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says there are 4,000 Richmond residents in the same boat as Wong, some who have been driving and lining up for their mail since January.
Making matters worse is the fact that mail pick is only available at the centre between 10 a.m and 2 p.m.
According to CUPW spokesman Farouk Karim, Richmond is one of the worst areas in Canada for repeated mailbox vandalism and mail theft, with those living in the V6Y area code of the city impacted the most.
During a tour of the neighbourhood, CBC News was directed to a number of vandalized mailboxes, including a Canada Post superbox and two community mailboxes in condo complexes.
Karim says merely repairing vandalized boxes is hardly a fix to the problem because they get broken into again in no time.
"There's no ready solution. This is why we want to address it," he said.
Canada Post spokeperson John Hamilton says his company has little jurisdiction over most of the vandalized mailboxes.
'It's happening everywhere'
"These are private mailboxes. The property management group or condo board, they're responsible for the mailboxes," said Hamilton. "In the meantime, we're keeping the mail secure for pickup at the depot."
Karim says the union believes the only way to guarantee secure mail delivery is to return to door-to-door service.
"Canada Post has always refused to report on how extensive the problem is, but we know from our local unions that it's happening everywhere," he said.
CUPW national president Mike Palecek will be in Richmond Monday, June 5, to highlight the issue.
With files from Megan Batchelor