Community mailbox location in Windsor reconsidered over safety concerns

Canada Post says it will re-evaluate plans for an eastside community mailbox on Elinor Street after a resident raised safety concerns.

Jeffrey Daoust lives across the street from the proposed site. He said he's not opposed to community mailboxes, as long as they're safe.

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He says the community mailbox planned for his neighbourhood is in a bad location because it's in an area prone to flooding after heavy rain, and the formation of ice during the winter.

"In the winter time, if we get rain on a colder day and then over the night it freezes, you got a big skating rink here. Where mail's supposed to be accessible, you'll have ice. That's out biggest concern," he said.

He contacted Canada Post to tell them about the potential hazards, sending them photos of recent flooding.

"We're going to look at it now and make sure this site will be safe and accessible to all those people it serves," Canada Post spokeswoman Anick Losier said. "Whenever a resident raises concerns, we make modifications to the site. It's better to address it now than address it later."

Losier said there is a community mailbox site designation officer, but when he or she attends and it's not raining or not flooded, it may not be possible to note all potential problems.

She said it's why Canada Post goes door knocking and allows 10 months advance notice of the location of the community boxes.

Canada Post will send someone to re-evaluate the site next week.

"We take whatever concerns are raised, when it comes to safety and availability of the mail, very seriously," Losier said.

The Crown corporation is attempting to phase out urban home mail delivery and replace it with community mailboxes by 2018.

In announcing the new system, Canada Post pointed to a Conference Board of Canada report released in April 2013. It concluded the corporation would face a loss of $1 billion a year by 2020 if it chose to remain with conventional mail delivery.

The post office says that in 2012 its carriers delivered one billion fewer pieces of mail to Canadians than in 2006.