THUNDER BAY — Some residents of a southside Thunder Bay neighbourhood are expressing frustration with Canada Post.
According to one man, they haven't received any mail for almost three weeks, and the post office has been slow to provide an explanation.
"I called the number to put in a complaint, and ended up with a ticket. I called three or four times and kept updating the ticket because I was not getting any response from our Thunder Bay plant," said Patrick Cole, who lives in a row housing development on Holt Place, near Neebing Avenue.
"When I called in, it was around the 5th of March. They only got back to me today," Cole said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
After the issue was escalated, he said he finally heard from a manager in Thunder Bay who told him mail delivery to the housing complex had been halted because of an icy sidewalk, and advised him to "Get your landlord to put salt down."
Cole said he's lived at the same address for 15 years and has never heard of ice preventing carriers from delivering mail in that area.
He denied the sidewalk is icy, and said letters have also gone undelivered the last few weeks at an adjacent row housing development on Georgina Bay.
Newswatch reached out to Canada Post for comment but did not receive a reply prior to our publication deadline.
Cole said he did learn Wednesday morning that a local supervisor had given approval for parcel delivery to resume on Holt Place, and that mail delivery might resume on Thursday.
He said he was also told by a letter-carrier there was a slip-and-fall in front of one of the units a few weeks ago.
But if there was a health and safety issue, Cole wants an explanation as to why residents were never informed.
"I went to the office and spoke with the property manager, the people that take care of these units, and asked him if he had at any time received any form of notice from Canada Post with respect to an issue with ice. He said 'no, nothing whatsoever.' "
Newswatch was unable to reach the property manager.
Cole said he learned the office itself has been receiving mail, "so it's not hard for Canada Post, because they delivered the mail knowing that is our landlord's office, so to speak. They should have at least sent them a letter saying we have issues with Holt Place and Georgina Bay. Please take care of it. They never received anything."
In an online notice, the post office asks all Canadian homeowners to clear snow and ice from their driveways, walkways, stairs and around the mailbox, and says "We want to deliver your parcels and letters, but can only do so if we have a clear and safe path to the mailbox."
It adds that slips, trips and falls account for about half of its employee injuries every year.
