Workers at Canada Post are reporting delays in mail delivery as a result of system glitches at the new $200 million 700,000 square foot mail processing facility on Sea Island.
Operational problems have resulted in workers needing to use sticks to poke mail along what is supposed to be a state-of-the-art automated conveyer belt, said Kim Evans, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, adding the facility wasn't ready to go fully operational when the company moved all of its sorting to it last month.
"You can call it a glitch, but I would say it wasn't ready for prime time. So why was it open before being fully tested?" asked Evans.
However, Canada Post spokesperson Anick Losier denied the claims and insists the facility is working as it should, save for some minor problems that are to be expected with a facility of this size in its early stages of operations.
"We knew (not everything) would go perfectly, so we added extra shifts to make sure there are no backlogs...There are no mail delays out of the Richmond plant ...We are transitioning well," said Losier.
While Losier said Canada Post has not received an increase in complaints to indicate a problem with the facility, Evans said many of the complaints coming his way are through word of mouth.
"It was fairly evident and clear from the complaints, and what we know from members, is there have been significant delays in parcels," said Evans, who was approached by CBC earlier this week when it had received complaints about service.
"I don't have access to the company's data, but I do know that the complaints have been there and the CBC approached us about some of them," he said, noting one reason that the company may not be receiving complaints is because there isn't an obvious and clear way to report a problem.
In March, Richmond became the hub for Canada Post's mail delivery system in the Pacific region. Letter sorting moved from its Downtown Vancouver location and parcel sorting moved from its No. 6 Road location. The central location next to YVR is supposed to give the company a strategic advantage as it serves B.C. and Yukon, representing 10 per cent of the nation's mail.
Losier said the system is highly automated as scanners read barcodes on parcels and postal codes on letters, sending them to their appropriate bins.
Meanwhile, as the company settles in on Sea Island, the City of Richmond expressed concerns over community mailbox installations.
The city wants to ensure Canada Post consults with it when single-family home delivery is phased out and community mailboxes are installed within the next five years.
The concerns, raised at a safety committee meeting this week, are to be addressed in a letter to the company following approval by city council.
Losier said consultation will be done, particularly as it relates to placing the boxes on municipal land. Issues such as size, location, litter, traffic and security will be addressed.
She said residents can give feedback at (feedback. canadapost.ca).
Richmond already has about 180 community boxes, mostly in newer neighbourhoods.
