Complaint launched against Canada Post over paused mail service in Sandwich Town

Windsor West MP Brian Masse has filed an official complaint against Canada Post after he says they paused direct mail service to businesses and single-dwelling residents in Sandwich Town due to ongoing road construction.

According to Masse, he was shocked to learn the suspension began 1.5 weeks ago, saying residents were only notified at the end of last week.Construction in Sandwich Town in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

"I have reached out to Canada Post for answers and am calling for a quick resolution," Masse said in a post to social media.

Masse said the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) offered to collaborate on a mobile mail clinic to assist affected residents, but Canada Post declined the offer.

"I have asked for the reasoning behind Canada Post chose not to work with the WDBA and have urged them to find a quick resolution," Masse said.Windsor West MP Brian Masse in Windsor, Ont. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Masse explained that as a result, residents now need to travel to the Canada Post depot on Walker Road to pick up their mail, suggesting the depot’s limited hours makes things challenging for the west end community, which includes many students, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals.

"Not a thing. Just cobwebs and dust," said frustrated Sandwich Street resident Shirley Robbins, who said it had been three weeks since any mail had been delivered to her home.

"I called yesterday and I got some satisfaction, so to speak," Robbins said. "They said, 'oh yeah, come to Walker Road and pick it up'... I don't drive. I'm a senior. So how do I do that? I guess I just patiently wait, which I'm not patient."

Robbins said she has lived in her house for 60 years and this is the first time she has had such problems.

"There's been a lot of chaos and disruption that's taken place and the whole point of doing the border was to improve the living conditions," Masse told CTV News. "The Windsor-Detroit Border Authority did the right thing by reaching out to try to problem solve on this and deserves a lot of credit."

"Canada Post, though, is just awful on this situation."

Meantime, some business owners in the construction zone said their mail service had not been impacted, but had heard that others’ was.

"I'm a bit concerned,” said Nicole Sekela, owner of Rock Bottom Bar and Grill and Sandwich Brewing. “We usually get mail delivery every day."

"We're all having to come to work and I don't know if there's any safety issues as of yet. I'm sure if there was, maybe mail could be delayed for a few days at a time, but to have it interrupted now, I'm not sure. Patrons are walking here and we're getting into work, so I'm not exactly sure the reason. I'm hoping that we continue to receive our mail."

Initial discussions with Canada Post, prior to the start of the construction activities, indicated mail delivery to residences and businesses along Sandwich Street would continue through the duration of the project. WDBA representatives met with Canada Post upon learning of a change in mail delivery to discuss alternatives, such as temporary community mailboxes. As a general project update, the team expects to begin paving activities from Chappell to Watkins during the week of August 19, 2024. Other blocks will follow in the coming months.

In an email to CTV News, a Canada Post spokesperson indicated a local operations team is monitoring the situation.

"The health and safety of our employees is our top priority. Due to health and safety concerns, we recently suspended delivery to addresses affected by ongoing construction on Sandwich Street in Windsor,” it said. “Letters informing affected customers of the change were delivered to addresses that were accessible."

The email stated that the local operations team is working on installing temporary community mailboxes to resume delivery to all affected addresses until the construction project is finished. It added Canada Post will be in touch with residents with more information once they are installed.

"The suspension of mail delivery and the well-being of our employees are issues we take very seriously,” said Canada Post. “Our goal in these situations is always to find a solution as quickly as possible. We have a responsibility to ensure that our delivery agents, who visit hundreds of addresses every day, can safely deliver mail and parcels."

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank people for their patience until we resume regular delivery."

If customers have questions about their postal services, they can contact Canada Post's Customer Service team online at canadapost.ca/support or by telephone at 1-866-607-6301 (TTY: 1-800-267-2797).