Canada Post is experiencing lengthy delays due to the current health crisis.
One frustrated area resident knows all too well about the problem.
She said she waited 18 days for a letter to arrive from one end of Barrie to the other.
"It was a letter, so I couldn’t even track it," she lamented. "It was just a wait-and-see-if-it-gets-here situation. My understanding was it was sent to Mississauga to be sorted, which I don’t quite get.”
On May 26, Canada Post announced they hit an all-time, one-day record on Tuesday, May 19 with 2.1 million parcels delivered to Canadians.
“That’s roughly three times the norm for this time of year. It’s not just the volumes that are causing challenges, the number of larger household items, like mini-fridges, patio furniture and barbecues coming through our network have also increased,” said a media release from Canada Post. “These bulky items often require a two-person lift which creates additional safety challenges and delays.”
The release said that one of the reasons item-tracking has been frustrating for those able to use it, is due to the safety steps being taken by the service.
“Some parcels may be transferred to other Canada Post locations for processing based on capacity. While this reduces delays, customers tracking their items may notice their parcel is taking a different route than normal,” said the statement.
Canada Post said it is taking steps to respond, while maintaining physical distancing, which includes processing and delivering on weekends and additional support from trained temporary employees.
The frustrated resident said she can appreciate the impact of pandemic, but will not likely use Canada Post again.
“I know other people who have had similar problems, so it wasn’t just me,” she said. “Moving forward, if I have mail being sent from within town, I am going to make other arrangements for it, for sure.”
