Canada Post super mailbox out of reach for St. John's paralympian

For St. John's paralympian Joanne MacDonald, getting her daily mail is now impossible after Canada Post switched her to an inaccessible community mailbox.

Macdonald said she received the key for her new mailbox on Oct. 22.

But when MacDonald, who uses a wheelchair, went to get her mail, she discovered her assigned slot was at the very top of the box.

"I'm not very tall, and I've got a fairly short arm, so putting the key in is a little problematic," said MacDonald.

"But then when I open up the compartment, I'm not able to reach my mail."  

MacDonald immediately called Canada Post about the problem.

"They said I would have to wait three to four weeks before I would get a questionnaire identifying what the issues were and then they would follow up with me and assess the situation."

"I'm not really sure what that means."

Unacceptable

MacDonald said she was told to get someone to collect her mail for her in the meantime, a solution she said was "unacceptable" without a clear timeline saying when the problem will be resolved.

She also said that a friend was told to provide a doctor's note to Canada Post in order to prove a mailbox was inaccessible, a move MacDonald found alarming.

Canada Post spokesperson Anick Losier said the corporation is looking into MacDonald's complaint. 

"We [will] find a solution for everyone, and yes, there may be a medical attestation required," Losier said in a statement to CBC.

"But our team has been working very hard and have found a solution for everyone thus far."

For MacDonald, an immediate solution would be a simple mailbox slot switch.

"If it were lowered, if I was number 6, 7 or 8 it would be no issue for me, at least in terms of getting here during non-winter months," she said.

'We're now the problem'

Winter brings another hurdle for MacDonald getting her mail.

"Snow clearing here is not the best, and wheeling down this road with snow, it just won't be possible with me."

MacDonald feels Canada Post has not given people with mobility issues enough consideration during the conversion to community mailboxes.

"I was so disappointed to hear we were going to lose door-to-door delivery because it's obviously very convenient for those of us who use wheelchairs, who use scooters, any kind of mobility aid," she said.

"Now that we're being forced out of our home, to mailboxes distances from our home, we're now the problem."

Uncertain future

Despite Canada Post's announcement Monday that it was putting its community mailbox program on hold, it's unclear whether that would be reversed in St. John's, where the switch from door-to-door delivery was just completed.

"There's always hope," said Craig Dyer, president of the St. John's branch of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, who added that Canada Post management indicated areas of the province that haven't already moved to the mailboxes will remain with door-to-door service.

He urged people to stand up against the mailboxes if they experience injustice.

"People do have rights, and people have rights to a good service, a good quality service," said Dyer.