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Red Deer woman frustrated by mail delivery suspension due to construction

Shanna Lydiard said residents shouldn’t have to drive across the city for their mail
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Shanna Lydaird complained that she hasn’t received her new driver’s licence because mail delivery was suspended due to water main construction on her West Park block. (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).

A Red Deer woman says she’s “beyond frustrated” that a city construction project halted mail delivery to her home — as well as to at least 60 other West Park residences.

On April 6, excavation work began by contractors to upgrade a city water main in the area of 37 St. and 55 Ave. Two weeks later, Shanna Lydiard noticed she hadn’t received any mail — including the new driver’s license that she was expecting to arrive within 10 days.

After making numerous phone calls to Canada Post and the City of Red Deer, Lydiard found out mail delivery had been suspended on her street for the duration of the construction project — which is expected to go on until Oct. 10.

Lydiard told the Advocate on Wednesday that neither she nor her roommate had received advanced notice of this.

After reaching out to Canada Post, she was told the temporary suspension was ordered by the City of Red Deer — but emailed responses she received from the city stated it was a Canada Post decision.

The exasperated woman believes no one wants to assume responsibility for the mail delivery stoppage, or the poor communication around it.

Impacted residents must go to a North Red Deer Canada Post office to collect their mail — which Lydiard said is incredibly inconvenient. She hasn’t been able to pick up her driver’s license because she works during the outlet’s opening hours.

She questioned why people should waste gas and time to drive across the city to get their mail when advertising flyers still manage to get delivered to her home.

After the City of Red Deer was contacted about Lydiard’s concerns, she received an email response from Joe Krego, the city’s environmental planning engineer on Wednesday.

Krego told her he’s asked Canada Post to resume mail delivery to the area, “and that it never should have stopped in the first place…. It is not the city’s intention to cause anyone frustration…”

If a mail carrier has concerns with access “they are to speak with a site worker who could assist them navigating the construction sites,” wrote Krego, who told Lydiard that Canada Post plans to restart mail delivery by May 19.

The City of Red Deer stated in an email: “After connecting with the contractor and Canada Post, we are happy to report we have been able to find a resolution for residents in this area. It appears as though it was a miscommunication between the parties involved in this complex project. We certainly did not intend to create extra hassle or issues with our work in this area, and we apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused.”

While Lydiard is pleased that service in her area will soon be restarted, she hopes the month’s worth of mail that is sitting at the north-side postal outlet will also be delivered.

She has yet to pick up her new driver’s license as the outlet closes before she finishes work. Lydiard said Canada Post’s rules prohibit getting somebody else to pick up letters addressed to her.

Canada Post could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.



lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com

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