By Scott Roblin

Mail reportedly missing in Seven Persons amidst Canada Post transition

Aug 28, 2018 | 5:00 PM

SEVEN PERSONS, AB – It’s been almost two weeks since Cypress County resident Diana Bergen found something other than flyers in her mail box.

Using her mail box in Seven Persons, Bergen said bills, cheques, and other important documents have been missing since August 16.

“I was told that it would be a couple days and we’d be getting our mail,” said Bergen. “Well, I have yet to get any mail and I know I’m not the only one. Nobody has been getting mail out here.”

Seven Persons resident Tori Wager-Noga has had similar issues as she waits on a number of deliveries as well.

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“I’ve ordered clothes and school stuff online, and to get it before school starts is going to be difficult,” said Wager-Noga.

The delays are due to a recent change from Canada Post that now sees mail pick up moved from Seven Persons to Bow Island for some rural residents in Cypress County and the County of 40 Mile.

There is an option for those residents to have mail delivered to Medicine Hat for around $250 per year, however Canada Post is offering free mail direction services for the first year of service.

While service was expected to be uninterrupted for those still able to use mail services in Seven Persons, some locals like Bergen are now without mail.

“I just put in another e-ticket last night so to speak about where’s my mail?” she said. “Haven’t heard nothing.”

According to Canada Post, they advised residents of the changes dating back to April, however many of those we spoke to on Tuesday said they didn’t receive any notification.

Bergen said there has been a lack of communication, as she didn’t know the changes were coming in until a few weeks ago.

“If a neighbour hadn’t have told me, I would have never had known,” she said. “And, I know my sister-in-law didn’t know, our other neighbour didn’t know. So, there’s a lot I guess that didn’t know.”

CHAT News reached out to Canada Post for comment on the missing mail and to update the civic addressing changes, however they did not meet our deadline.

In a previous statement, they said the move “helps Canada Post improve efficiency and accuracy of mail and parcel delivery while also assisting 911 emergency responders. Basically, it’s converting rural mailing addresses to a mailing address that matches the municipal address.”

While Bergen is on board with the initiative to streamline physical and mailing addresses, she isn’t sure it should split up where the community gets their mail.

“I do agree with that, I do,” she said. “But, why make us Cypress County and 40 Mile when we were all Seven Persons?”

Close to a dozen people affected by the changes have reached out to Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner MP Glen Motz, who is hoping to meet with Canada Post in the near future.

Bergen added it’s a good start and is hopeful that mail delivery in the area will return to its original state.

“Nothing was broken, so why do they feel the need to have to fix it,” she said. “Everyone was happy getting their mail here, now it’s just a big, big inconvenience.”

It’s estimated that around 780 households across southern Alberta are being affected by the changes from Canada Post.