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Canada Post deliveries paused in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside over safety concerns

Affected customers can pick up mail from a Canada Post facility about two kilometres away
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Various items are laid out for sale on the sidewalk on Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canada Post says it has temporarily suspended mail delivery along two blocks in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood because of safety concerns.

Spokeswoman Valérie Chartrand says in a statement that the federal Crown corporation is working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and find a long-term solution “that will ensure the well-being of our employees.”

It says customers who are affected on East Hastings Street have been notified and their mail is available to be picked up from a Canada Post facility about two kilometres away from the area.

The statement says Canada Post is responsible for making sure its delivery people, who visit hundreds of addresses every day, can do their jobs safely.

Canada Post did not elaborate on the exact nature of the safety concerns.

In a statement, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says the city is working with Canada Post to ensure mail delivery continues and it is also working to help vulnerable residents of the Downtown Eastside.

—The Canadian Press

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