Some super mailbox issues solved by Canada Post, St. John's officials say
Public consultations about new community mailboxes in neighbourhoods in St. John's seem to be absent. However, city officials say Canada Post is flexible in rectifying individual problems.
The Crown corporation has received significant backlash since announcing it's phasing out urban door-to-door delivery and replacing the service with so-called "superboxes."
St. John's Mayor Dennis O'Keefe, who wrote Transport Minister Lisa Raitt to say how displeased he is with the plan, said there hasn't been any real consultations since it was announced.
"There hasn't been any serious consultation or any listening to the city when it comes to the fact that we're adamantly against community mailboxes and the reasons we are adamantly opposed to community mail boxes," O'Keefe told CBC News.
One of the biggest detractors is the federal NDP, who has vowed to reinstate delivery, if it's elected.
St. John's South-Mount Pearl NDP MP Ryan Cleary said there is a lack of communication between Canada Post and residents.
He has forwarded concerns from legally blind Philip Strong of Mount Pearl who says the proposed mailbox in his neighbourhood is dangerous because it's on the side of the road without a sidewalk.
However, O'Keefe said the corporation has responded quite well to individual problems raised by the city.
He gives an example of one small cul de sac that was supposed to get for three community mailboxes. O'Keefe, who has received approximately 10-12 complaints, told Canada Post that it would be congested and the problem was rectified.
Besides sending letters indicating where mailboxes will be installed, Coun. Danny Breen said there has been very little consultation with Canada Post.
However, Breen agrees that most issues he has brought to Canada Post's attention have been fixed.
"We haven't always been successful. Canada Post has come back on some of them for various reasons that there's no [way] they can change it but they're certainly listening to our concerns and certainly looked into them," Breen said.