Alex McConnachie is waiting for an answer from the federal procurement minister after writing a letter raising concerns over the new Iqaluit post office. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Canada Post transition to civic addresses in Iqaluit ‘chaotic,’ says resident
Alex McConnachie implores federal minister to step in, saying people are waiting too long for mail
People in Iqaluit are waiting hours to pick up parcels and as long as a month to receive registered mail, and the problem is only getting worse as Christmas approaches, says resident Alex McConnachie.
He wrote a letter Nov. 10 to federal Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, who is also the minister responsible for Canada Post, alerting him to the issue.
Iqaluit’s new post office is located at the back of the Frobisher Inn complex on Astro Hill. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
In it, McConnachie says Canada Post has struggled to make a clean transition from the use of PO box numbers to civic addresses. The mail-delivery service opened a second post office in Iqaluit in October. The change necessitated the shift to civic addresses.
“Many individuals are experiencing difficulties in updating their addresses, leading to disruptions in mail delivery and an overall lack of clarity in the new system,” he said in his letter.
McConnachie described the transition as chaotic, unplanned, and exacerbated by a lack of adequate staff at the post office.
People are having difficulties updating their address and receiving keys to their new boxes, and face lengthy waits for mail to move through the system.
“This could have been done way better,” he said in an interview.
“If it’s me experiencing this, there’s other people experiencing it too.”
McConnachie said he did not receive a response from Duclos’ office for his Nov. 10 letter.
On Dec. 5 he wrote to Duclos again, imploring him to intervene.
“Your failure to respond or address this issue is only compounding the issue,” he wrote. “This needs your attention.”
Duclos’ press secretary, Olivier Pilon, responded to Nunatsiaq News’ request for comment about the issues McConnachie raised with the minister.
“Access to quality, efficient and reliable postal services is essential, especially for those living in rural and remote communities,” reads the brief statement.
“We are aware of pressing concerns raised by members of the community in Iqaluit following the opening of the Astro Hill post office, and are working closely with Canada Post to resolve the issue.”
Phil Rogers, a spokesperson for Canada Post, said some housing units and building numbers don’t appear in data the organization received from the City of Iqaluit.
That means some customers still need to visit the city’s planning and development offices in building 901 to update their address. Rogers encourages anyone with questions to contact Canada Post’s customer service.
“We continue to work with the municipality and directly with customers to assign mail compartments for City-verified civic addresses,” Rogers said.
Whatever the reason, McConnachie said this ordeal has been a difficult adjustment for many.
He said he empathizes with Canada Post counter staff who are forced to respond to angry customers but have no control over organizational policies.
“We’re in the busiest time of year, everyone’s frustrated,” McConnachie said.
“Try explaining to a seven or eight-year-old why there’s no gifts on Christmas because they’re held up at the post office; you couldn’t get them because Santa’s stuck at the post office.”
yes! CP can’t handle the load during the regular season, nevermind during the busiest shipping season of the year! This transition was not timed properly, it could have been done in the middle of January. I am going on 3 weeks of not receiving any lettermail. I am even missing those annoying spam mail. Told the family, not buying anything this Christmas unless it can go to the Amazon hub till this mess is sorted. Might be next spring, wishful thinking!
Why are the line ups alot longer than before there were 2 locations? I would have thought that having 2 locations would ease the line up but nope, it’s worse than before
Because they reduced the box count at the old PO and put even more in the new PO….
They’ve effectively taken “the lineup” and just moved it inside and made it bigger.
Anyone who has worked with Canada Post in Nunavut knows what the problem is. Or rather who the problem is.
This is very true! The staff has to be bear the brunt of an incompetent manager.
The system is a joke. Let’s go and wait hours for our mail. It’s quicker to be treated at the emergency department than it is to pickup your parcels.
Maybe you guys should be considerate about the slow process of mail coming in. Alot of coccaine drug bust on baffin Island lately.
Would be better if canada post gave staff housing. Once the good contract workers go back down south we’re stuck again with locals who don’t care enough to show up to work for 20 bucks an hour at canada post. Enough is enough
Canada Post pays less than a living wage.
There can be no long term staff – you only get paid $17/hr and you cannot get “Northern Allowance” unless you have worked six continuous months – and no one can work six continuous months because everyone needs sick leave or a holiday or a family day or medical travel in six months – and management won’t give you that many hours anyway.
Plus you are the face and taken the brunt of public concerns and management won’t fix even the most logical change.
Pay people properly. Get some decent management. Then when things are going well – that would be the time for a change.
It is way past time for the person responsible for the Iqaluit postal dis-service to be fired for managerial incompetance. That person’s supervisor also needs to be fired, for not doing their job as a supervisor. To quote the Queen of Spades, “Off with their heards!”
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There was a book published secretly during World War Two and given to Allied agents working behind German lines. It described ways to blow up railway lines. It also described ways to sabotage German war production in particular and the functioning of German society in general.
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That book appears to have been used as the strategic planning document for the Iqaluit postal dis-service.
take it easy, it’s a transition period, I know some of the workers and with all the pressure and mail coming in, they are pretty patient bunch if you ask me. this is. reminder that this is Nunavut the least serviced part of Canada, damn Iqalungmuit should feel grateful we are not in other small communities. Living in Iqaluit is a luxurious compared to other communities, So take a pill, we have smart phones to keep us occupied! I ran into people I haven’t seen in months and I am alway happy to chat with them. it will take a bit of time to iron out the kinks.
I totally sympathize with the employees, there’s nothing they can do about the situation as a whole other than provide the information and instructions they get from managers. They’re getting so much grief from some really rude people and it’s not fair to them.
But this whole changeover was so poorly planned. I only go to the post office once a week now because I don’t have time to stand in a 45 to 60 minute lineup three times a week. As it stands I have to either spend my whole lunch hour there or not get home until after 5pm.
The actual layout of the post office is also not great. There needs to be signage to tell people when there is a separate line for parcels and better line management to keep the line organized so it isn’t blocking the door. The accessible doors close too quickly to get through if you have more than a couple of parcels, or for that matter if you are an elder who moves slowly.
Once you’re outside, cabs can’t get close to the door so if your parcels are heavy you have to drag them over to the end of the fence so you can get to your cab. Traffic drives through there fast and the lighting once you get far away from the exit door to the Frob isn’t great.
It’s so disappointing that we get this great new post office which should have been able to solve the issues at the old post office, and instead it’s just the same problems with extra steps.
if waiting in line is his biggest problem in life he’s got it pretty easy in life!
People aren’t getting their mail period in many cases. That is a massive problem. Imagine waiting in line all that time only to find that out.
With the support of NDP, Liberals are making things worse in Nunavut! Rarely flights to any communities, bring your own shopping bags to the stores, carbon taxes, increase fuel, gas, food, now this?
Post Office is a crown corporation, independent of political decision, PM doesn’t have any control over it. It’s arms length and it has it own CEO, board of directors and so on.
I haven’t received any mail since the change. They changed my PO Box number as I used to be at the back of the main building. They say there is mail forwarding from the PO Box numbers to the associated civic addresses. But I can assure you there is no forwarding from the old PO Box numbers to those who received new ones. I know mail has been sent to me, so where exactly is it?
Ten years ago there was a saying.
“Mail delivery still costs 2 cents a letter, same as it has always been. The rest is storage fees.”
As they say in French, Plus ca change, plus ca reste la meme choise. Roughly translated, The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Seems there is little thought about how homeless people are now supposed to receive their mail now.
We have a lot of homeless people.
The story does not mention that this new postal “system” does not work for our most vulnerable population, With mailing box numbers linked to physical addresses that some people do not have, also we live in a highly transitional community people are expected to change their ID, their address every time they move down the street. The Post only checks that your House number is on your ID to release mail to anyone. So many flaws that just are not going to go away over time
I wonder how many people complaining about line-ups for mail, would stand in a line-up for the B&W Store for weeks.
I wonder how many people in line at the B&W are there to pick up medication, glasses, bills, cheques, legal documents, etc?
What a profoundly stupid comparison to make …
You are once again mistaken; the vast majority of people are there to pick up their cannabis orders. Hence, the reason for all the hostility. Jonesin’ is a rough sitch to be in.
The VAST majority?! My goodness, I don’t know if I can clutch my pearls hard enough …
Also people getting their mails stolen by the workers at the new location
The only time my weed gets nipped by CP is during the Xmas season in Iqaluit. Never ever anywhere else.
the article makes no mention of the real issue..its not just waiting in line etc..mail is not getting to the right recipient..thats the main issue..and why is that..and to think this is a crown corporation in business since 1867 and cant seem to have thought this whole new process through..properly..