Parcel pickup moves; BIA upset with change by Canada Post
Changes made to parcel delivery have business and political leaders on the verge of going postal.
Businesses and residents can no longer go to the downtown post office to pick up parcels. Instead, they must travel to one of the two Shoppers Drug Mart’s on Algonquin Boulevard.
Canada Post recently changed how it handles packages that require a signature and are not delivered to the door.
Instead of heading to the post office, located at the corner of Balsam Street and Second Avenue, residents and businesses now have to travel to Canada Post retail outlets located inside either of the two drug stores located on Algonquin Boulevard.
Downtown Timmins Business Improvement Association president Andrew Marks said the move is a form of downsizing. He’s worried that more than 250 businesses which have central access to the post office will now have to deal with the huge headache of commuting to get their parcels.
Marks said it’s businesses that are constantly picking up parcels, not regular residents. What’s worse, he said, is that those who would walk into the downtown core no longer have to, and that will equate to a dent in retail activity. Changes made to parcel delivery have business and political leaders on the verge of going postal.
Businesses and residents can no longer go to the downtown post office to pick up parcels. Instead, they must travel to one of the two Shoppers Drug Mart's on Algonquin Boulevard.
Canada Post recently changed how it handles packages that require a signature and are not delivered to the door.
Instead of heading to the post office, located at the corner of Balsam Street and Second Avenue, residents and businesses now have to travel to Canada Post retail outlets located inside either of the two drug stores located on Algonquin Boulevard.
Downtown Timmins Business Improvement Association president Andrew Marks said the move is a form of downsizing. He's worried that more than 250 businesses which have central access to the post office will now have to deal with the huge headache of commuting to get their parcels.
Marks said it's businesses that are constantly picking up parcels, not regular residents. What's worse, he said, is that those who would walk into the downtown core no longer have to, and that will equate to a dent in retail activity.
"We have to leave the downtown core, which is a huge inconvenience," he said. "Canada Post should rethink this process. Not only do you inconvenience our members but residents in the downtown area and in my eyes, this is not acceptable."
The BIA was first informed of the Canada Post's change in service by MP Charlie Angus (NDP – Timmins-James Bay). Angus sent a letter to the BIA and the City of Timmins when he discovered the change.
"It's putting people in cars and taking them out of downtown," Angus said. "We want to be bringing people into the downtown.
"The post office is the linchpin of our downtown economy.
"I really don't have much trust or any reassurances with Canada Post."
For local politicians, news of the new mail system for parcels was a shock. City council members want to know why the city wasn't informed of the change until it actually happened.
"I'm wondering what happened to dialogue with the people," said Mayor Tom Laughren.
"When you deal with people, (communication) is one of your most important mechanisms. When there's changes, communicate those changes. Give everybody an opportunity for further feedback."
Council decided to support a letter from the BIA to the CEO of Canada Post during Monday's regular council meeting. In the letter, the BIA asks for Canada Post to reconsider how parcels are picked up and expresses its disappointment in not being informed of the change.
"It caught a lot of people off guard," Coun. Denis Saudino said. "We're put in a position to react rather than be proactive."
This type of modification in parcel retrieval is not new to Northern Ontario, Canada Post communications officer Tom Creech said.
By placing mail items inside these drug stores, he said it makes for a more convenient system since Shoppers Drug Mart has extended operating hours.
"We want to take advantage of longer hours of service," Creech said. "Our philosophy is let's take advantage to what's already in existence. Canada Post would not be operating Saturday, Sundays and well into the evening when the Shoppers of the world are."
It may be a case of too little too late, but Saudino said council hopes to get for some kind an answer to why changes were made without notice.
Marks said advance notice would have at least created a chance for discussion and possible compromises to keep businesses happy.
"They could have sent us a notification, in the mail!"
Parcel Pickup
Shoppers Drug Mart Post Office Hours at Algonquin Boulevard and Highway 655: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Shoppers Drug Mart Post Office Hours at Algonquin Boulevard and Cameron Street:
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
