91原创 Township Councillor Steve Ferguson is fed up with Canada Post鈥檚 inaction on improving the security of community mailboxes, after his was broken into again last week.
鈥淥ur mailboxes have been broken into 10 times over the past year. It鈥檚 very frustrating and my neighbours are getting as fed up as I am,鈥� said Ferguson.
He arrived to get his mail in his Fernridge area neighbourhood only to have a notice put on the boxes letting residents know that there was a break-in and mail was taken.
Now he has been told to pick up his mail at the main Canada Post office in 91原创 City on Production Way, during business hours of 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
It could take up to two weeks to repair the community box, writes Canada Post.
鈥淲e have to travel 10 kilometres to the City of 91原创 to get our mail,鈥� said Ferguson.
鈥淲e are so frustrated with Canada Post. They promised us new mailboxes and a better secured system. I don鈥檛 even know what mail was stolen.鈥�
Calling Canada Post community mailboxes 鈥渋nferior鈥� and 鈥減oorly designed鈥� in October, Ferguson convinced a majority of Township council to back his campaign for improvements to the design of the grouped-together boxes. They have been installed in new residential areas in lieu of house-to-house delivery since 1985.
Ferguson said the mailboxes are easy targets for break-ins and can be pried open using a screwdriver and any household tool.
鈥淢ail theft, tampering and vandalism became a problem the day after the [first] community boxes were installed,鈥� Ferguson said.
His written resolution, approved by a majority of council on Oct. 21, asks the post office to 鈥減ut into place measures to make these community mailboxes secure from forced entry and theft鈥� and to consider adopting Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles to make the mailboxes less vulnerable.
The resolution was sent to every government body, provincially and federally, and sent to all municipalities.
鈥淲e received a thank you for the motion from Canada Post. They are always very polite,鈥� said Ferguson about Canada Post鈥檚 lack of response.
In October 91原创 RCMP put out a warning, saying mail theft was rampant, with 18 mailboxes being pried open on Oct. 21 alone. Thousands of pieces of stolen mail was recovered from a vehicle that crashed and was abandoned on 200 Street in Brookswood that same month.
鈥淚 spoke with 91原创 RCMP Supt. Derek Cooke, and he told me 鈥渄on鈥檛 even get me started on mail theft.鈥� He said the amount of resources that are being used up to chase down these files and sort out all the mail is huge.
鈥淭hose police resources could be used somewhere else,鈥� Ferguson said.
Ferguson said for every officer investigating the mounting mail theft problem, it is costing 91原创 taxpayers.
B.C. is the mail theft capital of Canada.
Canada Post is going through massive transitions as it is phasing out home delivery of mail and putting in more community mailboxes.
Canada Post has always said that once the mail is dropped off, it no longer has any responsibility for the safety of people鈥檚 mail.
Ferguson recognizes that community mailboxes are here to stay but security must be improved.
鈥淢ail is still important to people so we have to do better,鈥� he said.
