Haines Junction frustrated by repeated post office closures

HAINES JUNCTION, Yukon — Residents of this western Yukon community are growing frustrated with repeated closures at their post office as Canada Post struggles to fill a vacant postmaster position.

A notice posted at the post office on Sept. 29 said it would be temporarily closed until further notice because of what Canada Post called an “unexpected staffing shortage.” A second notice, dated Oct. 1, said it would stay closed until Oct. 7, although some mail deliveries would continue. The office closed again on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

A notice posted last Friday said some services would resume Wednesday but warned there would be no regular schedule of opening hours, CBC News reported.

Michael Schmidt, who runs a small photography business in the community, said he went to the post office Wednesday expecting it to be open. “It was not open today. And no indication of when it will be open,” he said.

Schmidt said the disruptions have not hit him hard, though he has put off ordering some prints. He said he is more concerned about residents who rely on the post office for medication, cheques and other necessities, and that the lack of reliable information adds to the frustration. “If they can’t, they need to communicate,” he said of the published hours.

His wife, Marguerite Richard, asked why the community has gone through postmasters so quickly and whether administrative or staffing support problems are a factor.

In a statement, Canada Post confirmed it is still recruiting for the vacant postmaster job. It said an employee from another community has been filling in temporarily, but a regular schedule is not possible this week. A temporary employee will help deliver cheques and medication, and residents can keep using their post office boxes, the Crown corporation said. It added that it is considering bringing in an employee from outside the Yukon to run the office and train a future employee.

Schmidt said temporary arrangements are not a long-term fix and called for enough staff, including backups, to keep the office open consistently.

Haines Junction, at the junction of the Alaska and Haines highways, has been in the news for other reasons recently. The Yukon government is also dealing with a mine sale and a court fight in the territory, including the planned $140-million sale of the Eagle gold mine and its request that a court toss a Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in mining suit.

Story via CBC News.

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