Canada Post will stop delivering mail to doors in St. Albert and start using the new community mailboxes this month.
Anick Losier, a spokesperson for the Crown corporation, said the transition is scheduled to take place Aug. 17. That will be the first day mail is delivered to the community boxes, although as of the end of July not all of them are yet ready to go.
“We are still finalizing the installation of the community mailboxes, but we’ve confirmed the location of the sites to everybody and now they’re in the process of getting their keys,” she said.
She said while it’s difficult to be 100-per-cent certain, the Aug. 17 start date is firm because all the internal changes to the mail-delivery process that accompany the change are well underway.
If there are any changes or delays, however, Canada Post will let residents know.
“If there’s any issue we’ll be communicating directly with the residents to let them know, but so far we’re right on schedule and everything looks like it will be a go for the 17th,” Losier said.
St. Albert residents, and residents all across the country, have had mixed reactions to the plan to transition to community mailboxes, with some citing concerns about accessibility, safety and property values.
Elsewhere in the country, there have been news reports about keys not working properly or of a key opening more than one box. Losier said to help facilitate a smooth transition, residents are encouraged to test their keys as soon as they’re able, and let the company know if there are any problems before Aug. 17.
“For those where the sites have been installed, if they could try their key ahead of time and if there’s any issue, let us know through customer service,” she said. “We have a process to address that immediately because we know it’s important for the start date.”
