Gillies Bay residents have a new mail delivery service in place.
According to Canada Post media relations spokesperson Lisa Liu, the post office located at Gillies Bay General Store permanently closed on December 21, 2023, due to unexpected reasons beyond Canada Post’s control. Liu said customers were notified on September 13, 2023, by letter and Canada Post has been in touch with local officials regarding this situation.
“Starting December 22, residents began receiving their mail in community mailboxes located on Paton Road near the intersection of Gillies Bay Road,” said Liu. “Residents were notified of this change and were provided with their keys and compartment numbers on November 16 by letter.”
Liu said customers renting a postal box at the former post office were sent a letter on December 1 informing them of their options and next steps. PO box customers will also receive a one-year complimentary change of address, she added.
“We apologize to our customers for this unexpected inconvenience and thank them for their understanding,” said Liu. “If customers have questions regarding their postal services, they can contact Canada Post's customer service team online at canadapost.ca/support or by telephone at 1.866.607.6301 (TTY: 1.800.267.2797.”
qathet Regional District Electoral Area D (Texada Island) director Sandy McCormick said there are now community mailboxes in Gillies Bay in a big, long stack.
“They have now been erected for people who used the post office previously,” said McCormick. “I’m one of those people. We have a box number and our address is still the same, but now we go to the community mailbox to pick up our mail instead of inside the general store.”
McCormick said there are advantages and disadvantages to the new system. She said residents can now check their mail at any time, so if they are coming back on the late ferry, they can still stop and pickup their mail. She said previously, people could only pick up mail when the store was open.
The disadvantage is that those who pickup up mailing could be standing outside in inclement weather conditions.
“Mud puddles are around and there is a lot of uneven terrain, with seniors having to walk on that,” said McCormick. “There is also a lot of traffic congestion during the day if you get six people, all in vehicles picking up their mail, that whole area is full. There’s not really enough parking for people going to pick up their mail.
“People are generally okay with it. It’s a compromise.”
McCormick said people are concerned about the delivery of parcels, because the community mailboxes are limited in size. To pick up parcels, Gillies Bay residents have to drive to Van Anda to pick them up, which increases the carbon footprint.
“That part is not environmentally friendly, but people will get their mail at the end of the day, so it’s okay,” said McCormick. “Canada Post is not to be faulted in any way. They were between a rock and a hard place because the longstanding contract they had with the Gillies Bay store was terminated by the store.
“Canada Post was looking for another commercial building to put the mailboxes in but there is no other commercial building in Gillies Bay, period. Community mailboxes was all they could do.”
McCormick said people will get used to it.
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