How a letter from their granddaughter, with no stamp or postal code, made it from B.C. to P.E.I.

Joe Lawless says it was a surprise when a blue envelope arrived with the mail in his and his wife Nancy's mailbox in Summerside, P.E.I.

There was no stamp or postal code. There was just the street address, province, and part of the city name.  And it was addressed "To Nana and Papa from Octavia."

Octavia is their nine-year-old granddaughter who lives in Maple Ridge, B.C.

"It really touched my heart," Lawless said of the unexpected letter. 

Sent off without a stamp

In the letter Octavia tells her grandparents that she taught a 14-year old how to do a back flip, and that she'd like to someday travel to France. She also tells them that she really misses them.

She wrote the letter and dropped it in the post box before her parents could add the stamps and remaining address.

"Because I needed to tell them right away before it was the weekend," Octavia said. 

She was told that it would probably not get to her Nana and Papa. She, her parents, and grandparents were all surprised and happy when a few weeks later, it did. 

Thankful for extra effort

Lawless said he's not only thankful that his granddaughter thought of him and his wife, and took the time to write a letter. He's also grateful to the Canada Post workers who got the letter across the country, despite there being no stamp, and figured out where to deliver it. 

"Especially this day and age, I mean you know you need postal codes and you need a stamp, you need the right address," Lawless said. 

"It says Summer on it. It could have been Summerfield, it could have been Summerville, P.E.I. And not only that, they didn't charge me for the stamp."

Response from Canada Post

In a statement Canada Post said it is not uncommon for employees to investigate to help complete an address, and the company is glad the letter made it to the Lawlesses. 

"That letter would have had many stops along the way, so it was the well-wishes of many employees across the country that allowed it to work its way to P.E.I. without a stamp or a full address," reads the statement.

Canada Post did however note the importance of including a full address and postage. To encourage more letters between Octavia and her grandparents, the company says it is reaching out to the Lawlesses to offer a free pack of stamps. 

In her letter to her grandparents, Octavia asked them to write back to her. Lawless said they definitely will. 

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