Post office woes might delay Christmas gifts, Idlout warns
Nunavut MP calls rollout of 2nd post office a ‘disaster,’ says service is ‘unacceptable’
Canada Post’s rollout of Iqaluit’s second post office has been a “disaster,” Nunavut MP Lori Idlout says. The NDP politician wrote to the federal Liberal minister responsible for Canada Post Friday calling recent service at the new location “unacceptable.” (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Updated Friday, Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Christmas gifts might be late arriving in Iqaluit because of service problems at the new post office outlet, Nunavut’s MP Lori Idlout warns.
Idlout called the rollout of the new post office, located in the Astro Hill complex behind the Frobisher Inn, a “disaster.” She said the service people have encountered since the location opened in October has been “unacceptable.”
“The chaos has been exacerbated by a lack of staff and issues co-ordinating with the City of Iqaluit, as many residents lack proof of address,” Idlout wrote in a two-page letter to the federal minister responsible for Canada Post, Jean-Yves Duclos, on Friday.
The NDP politician asked the Liberal cabinet minister to assure her “that the many issues will be resolved and that my constituents will have their privacy and personal lives respected.”
Canada Post spokesperson Phil Rogers said Friday the Crown corporation understands the “frustration” Idlout expressed and he assured Iqalummiut that it is “working hard to stabilize and improve” service.
The post office has added more staff in the short term to clear up the backlog and is working to speed up transactions and reduce wait times, Rogers said.
A statement released by Duclos’s office late Friday said, “We are aware of the pressing concerns being raised by members of the community in Iqaluit” regarding the new post office.
“We will continue to work closely with Canada Post to resolve the issue and ensure that the community has access to quality, efficient and reliable postal services.”
Canada Post opened a second location in Iqaluit in October. Since then, there have been complaints about the switchover from Iqaluit’s traditional use of post office box numbers to a new requirement that all mail be labelled with the recipient’s civic, or street, address.
Idlout said her office has received complaints that Canada Post’s service changes have caused interruptions in people receiving social services as well as hour-long waits to get problems fixed.
Idlout noted Iqaluit has needed a second post office for years because the Queen Elizabeth Way location in the city’s core “is at capacity.”
“Many residents were hopeful that services and wait times would improve,” she wrote.
Rogers said Canada Post agrees with Idlout about the community’s anticipation that a new post office would improve services.
“To date, that hasn’t been the case for many, and we deeply regret that,” he wrote in an email.
Idlout also echoed concerns raised by Nunavut’s information and privacy commissioner Graham Steele about the prospect of privacy breaches if sensitive Government of Nunavut mail doesn’t make it to its intended destination.
Last week, Steele wrote to three Government of Nunavut departments — Finance, Family Services, and Human Resources — asking them to assess the privacy risks associated with sensitive information like pay slips or tax information going astray because of the switchover to civic addresses.
Idlout told Duclos there are unique privacy concerns in a relatively small city like Iqaluit.
“Neighbours and community members know each other well, and because of our size we must take extra precautions to protect our privacy on matters that are personal,” she wrote to Duclos.
Rogers responded to Steele’s concerns earlier this week, saying “nothing is more important than respecting [customers’] privacy.”
Note: This article was updated to include a statement from the office of federal minister responsible for Canada Post, Jean-Yves Duclos
Instead of complaining and pointing out the obvious she should be asking for solutions in Parliament. Jobs that are high-stress, physical, requiring high-school diploma and a certain level of financial literacy usually pay $40+ an hour in nunavut yet these workers are making pennies above minimum-wage. Ask yourself why no inuit want to work there? Same as taxi?
Dear Lori, use your power and position for good instead of simply pointing out problems.
Solutions, ideas for change are things beyond Lori’s capacities, or even interest. To be fair this is something she would need help with, but it takes effort to talk to people who do know. On the other hand complaining and casting herself and her constituents as perpetual victims is a much easier strategy, it gets her easy headlines, and that is as far as it goes with her.
Why are you starting to raise your concerns now. after Iqaluit citizens have complained over and over, since it all started. Where were you at that time? You are doing a quick publicity stunt because you want to make Nunavummiut believe that you actual care. The next election is not coming soon enough
Poor iqaluit not getting their mail in a matter of days when rest of nunavut can wait several weeks and months sometimes.
Post office short staff? Meanwhile half the other post offices are closed all the time cause no staff. Nunavut is 26 communities not just iqaluit. How bout you stand up for post office problems in the rest of nunavut and let the MLA’s deal with iqaluit?
I ordered my items almost seven weeks ago, with no real update since early November. Yes, in Iqaluit.
Still Waiting:
Check with your supplier.
On Thursday of last week I ordered items from 2 different suppliers in Winnipeg. I received all of them in Iqaluit today (Monday).
So the problem could be your supplier.
Or it could be the address on your items.
Or it could be gremlins from the 5th dimension.
Good luck.
Your order might be suffering from “bag in the corner” syndrome.
Your items were in a mail bag that was put in the corner. Then more bags of mailwere put on top of it. Some of those bags were processed before more bags were piled on top. And repeat. This goes on until the rate at which mail arrives at the station is less than the rate at which mail gets processed. Eventually, they get to the last bag in the corner, that has your items. Yes, “bag in the corner” syndrome.
Remember it is not only iqaluit arviat too really bad order is sitting in the back of the northern store for weeks before they start putting the notes post card .
Current post office management in Iqaluit is incompetent and needs to be replaced. Same goes for whomever that person reports to.
.
If those currently in charge were capable of resolving the problems, they would not have created the problems in the first place.
What’s wrong with Iqaluit? M.L.A. councilors, city councilors, resigning here and there. Post office, taxi drivers, and everything else is screwed up. I guess the beer and wine store got into everyone’s head.
LOL!!!
Anyone over there or the rest of Nunavut admit voting NDP and/or Liberal the last couple of elections?
I haven’t voted Conservative since 2011.
The next election might be the first one since becoming an adult that I don’t cast a vote in.
I do not think this has anything to do with the party in power. Ever heard of the most efficient and effective phoenix payment system installed by conservatives that was not at all a waste of money? Granted, it has only affected federal civil servants and their families and no one in the general public cares but it, as the problem with the post office (and Canada Post is a crown corporation), is emblematic of a broader social and political issue. Somehow it seems that people want quick fixes, do not listen to people with actual expertise and do not plan or problem solve. I think people do not care enough. We seem to always live on the edge of disaster, our societies and institutions to hold on by a mere thread. Perhaps it has always been thus and some of us are only realizing it now.
Lori has been personally impacted by the poor service – which is likely the reason this issue is getting attention
Sure, but blaming ‘cOlOnIaLiSm’ is not going to be enough this time.
It’s not enough ANY time. If it were we would be colonizing (heh) Titan by now.
As far as I know, the problem still works there.
I’ll believe that something is really being done when that problem goes away.
Idlout is really out to lunch.
Lori, there’s better things to worry about. Ah housing, food insecurity, mental health, addictions, and few other things. Other communities have the same problem. Come’on Lori.
Monkey See!!! Monkey Do!!!