The regional district wants to know what’s going on with rural postal services (or the lack thereof).
So does Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes and Area C director Allan Patton.
Patton introduced a motion at a recent board meeting asking staff to enquire about a suspected decline in services.
“I don’t know what’s going on . . . I think they (Canada Post) has a plan that they’re not telling us about,” said Patton.
He explained there is no longer a mailbox outside the Oliver post office solely for “local” mail. Patton said if you want to mail a letter to Penticton, it has to go to the Vancouver sorting plant, then back to Penticton.
“It’s centralization to the point of absurdity,” he said.
Like Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko, Patton is concerned about potential post office closures in rural BC.
Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes echoed Patton’s concerns regarding the loss of local sorting and delivery services. “Everything goes to the coast for sorting.”
Hovanes said it took about 17 days to receive a sensitive document from Kelowna recently. He had to sign it and return it to Kelowna, so he decided to drive there and deliver it by hand.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Hovanes said about a piece of local mail having to travel to Vancouver and back again for delivery. The mayor said people who want to mail something to Osoyoos are better off driving there to deliver it themselves.
Canada Post media relations director Anick Losier said there are no current plans to close the Oliver post office.
As part of its ongoing efforts to serve Canadians while remaining financially viable, Canada Post continues to look for ways to make its network most efficient, Losier noted.
“This is due to the fact that mail volumes have been in steep decline for the past six years, a trend which is expected to continue.”
In regards to sorting mail in Vancouver, Canada Post is using existing routes and excess capacity to sort local mail – and all mail should be delivered within delivery standards, Losier pointed out.
“Should customers experience delays, they should let us know via our customer service, so we can properly investigate and make sure that our delivery commitments are met.”