Lyonel Doherty, Times-Chronicle
An Osoyoos homeowner is shaking his head in disbelief over what has been happening to mail delivery in his neighbourhood.
If you receive somebody else’s mail by mistake, what should you do? Throw it in the garbage, open it, or try to ensure it gets to the intended recipient?
Well, you might think that nobody would open it, but think again.
Jack Rogers from Pebble Beach Drive said this is exactly what happened to his mail recently at the community mailbox on his street.
First off, he reported that since January of this year, 14 pieces of mail have been misdirected. He also pointed out that two very important pieces of his mail were tampered with, one being his investment portfolio that was opened. The other was a medical appointment because the mail was altered and received too late.
Rogers said tampering with mail is a federal offence, so he reluctantly contacted the local RCMP about the situation.
Osoyoos RCMP Sgt. Jason Bayda recommends people call Canada Post immediately if they believe their mail has been tampered with.
Rogers said he realizes that some mail is opened inadvertently – an honest mistake. But this mistake should be followed up by doing the right thing, such as putting the mail back in the proper slot or delivering it to the right person, he noted.
“If I get something (in the mail) that’s not mine, I drop it into the outgoing mailbox.”
Or simply walk to the person’s house and give it to them.
But it annoys him to no end when his privacy is breached by prying eyes and fingers. Speaking of fingers, there may be fingerprints on that Scotch tape someone used to retape his mail.
“The last thing I want to do is involve the RCMP,” he said.
Getting back to the root of the problem, Rogers stated he’s hoping the Canada Post agent who delivers the mail in his neighbourhood will be doubly aware of what’s going on moving forward. He reiterated that 14 incidents of misdirected mail is cause for review.
Canada Post media relations Hayley Magermans told the Times-Chronicle they are aware of the issue and have notified the delivery agents who serve that route.
“Measures have also been taken at our local facility to correct these deliveries,” she pointed out.
Magermans said if a customer is receiving someone else’s mail, he or she should contact Canada Post right away.
If mail was delivered to the correct address, but addressed to the wrong person, you can write “moved” or “unknown” on the items and deposit them in a mailbox. For questions, visit canadapost.ca/support.
