Iqaluit councillors take service gripes to Canada Post

Service at Iqaluit’s post office isn’t up to par, says the City of Iqaluit, which has made complaints to Canada Post about service shortfalls. (FILE PHOTO)

Iqaluit Mayor John Graham says he isn’t satisfied with the response he received from Canada Post after he complained about postal service in Iqaluit.

The city complained to Canada Post after hearing from Iqaluit residents that they have trouble locating their parcels, or that wait times are too long.

“We did act, and this is basically what we got,” Graham said April 30 at a city council meeting.

Coun. Kenny Bell agreed with Graham: “Whatever phone calls you made fell on deaf ears,” he said.

The city held two teleconferences with Canada Post, where the city presented a list of about 15 complaints.

“We filed a complaint on behalf of everybody, a case file was created and this is what we got back,” Graham said.

The letter received by the City of Iqaluit from Canada Post was presented as correspondence during the meeting.

Coun. Mark Morrissey said that wait times at the Iqaluit post office are getting worse.

“It think it is getting worse down there,” he said.

“If any of their staff are any slower, we’ll have to call the undertaker,” Morrissey said, as the rest of council shared a laugh.

The letter, signed off by Sue Browning, said that Canada Post takes the delivery of mail and customer service seriously.

“We strive to ensure our delivery is within our service standards. We have investigated this matter with our contracted air carrier, and affiliated processing plants regarding delays,” she said in the April 4 letter.

The air carrier and the processing plants are aware and committed to dispatching all mail in a timely manner, Browning said.

However, “there are times due to capacity, weather and maintenance when delays may occur.”

Browning said she is also investigating customer service issues concerning the Iqaluit postal outlet.

“They are monitoring peak counter times closely, to ensure customer line-ups are kept to a minimum,” she said.

If the postmaster cannot resolve problems at a local level, then people will be given the customer service number for resolution.

“She didn’t really touch on any of the complaints,” Coun. Kenny Bell said during the council meeting.

He recalled waiting 25 days for a parcel from Montreal.

“If I wanted to send you a letter, Mr. Mayor, it will get sent to Montreal, then sent back,” he said.