Athabasca County council members are not resting on issues with Canada Post service.
In a letter dated May 23, Athabasca County was informed by the Fort McMurray Canada Post manager the Grassland post office business hours would be changed to accommodate those who work during the day.
Starting June 26, the post office hours will be Mondays and Fridays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“It’s five hours a day, three times a week. No service in my estimation, but you can have world delivery every day all around the country but you can’t keep a hamlet post office open every day? It doesn’t make economical sense,” Athabasca County manager Ryan Maier said during council’s June 13 meeting.
Athabasca County Reeve Doris Splane said while she was at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Ottawa, she spoke with someone from Canada Post about concerns with charge increases for some individuals who have boxes at the Athabasca post office.
“I shared with her people have been told there’s no room for them in Athabasca, but if you pay, there’s space,” Splane said. “She was very interested, and said they were having a meeting about it next week.”
Coun. Larry Armfelt said council has “started a bit of a battle here” and that council cannot stop now.
“We are so low on the totem poll that if we just stop now it’s done. So I don’t want to stop now,” he said.
Coun. Warren Griffin said if council is not happy with the response they got, then council should send a letter of response.
Coun. Christy Bilsky suggested using Splane’s contact in Ottawa to ask about service hours at the Grassland post office and to check in with the increased box fees.
Coun. Paul Ponich moved that council authorize administration to forward the letter received from Canada Post about the Grassland post office hour changes to Splane’s Canada Post contact, “saying the county is not happy with the reduced level of service in Grassland” and further requesting an update on their conversation in Ottawa about issues with the Athabasca post office.
The letter would also be sent to the Fort McMurray Canada Post manager, MP Shannon Stubbs and the Slave Lake Canada Post manager. The motion was approved.
