From the equality of rights springs identity of our highest interests; you cannot subvert your neighbor's rights without striking a dangerous blow at your own. Carl Schurz

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Can a communal mailbox do this

We've all heard these stories but I've been fortunate to actually experience one first hand. Last spring my elderly neighbor a woman in her nineties suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital, the last thing on the family's mind was the mail.
Several days later our mailman knocked on my door inquiring about her, he had noticed her mail was accumulating and grew worried. I gave him the news and he wondered if he should hold on to her mail until she returned home.

I said lets ask her son and phoned him, between the three of us it was decided that her mail would be delivered to me in the interim.

You see like many Canadians we have developed a relationship with our mail carrier something we can never do with a metal box down the street.

And oh yeah, she has recovered and to this day continues to greet the neighborhood while on her walks

11 comments:

  1. Um, not to pee on your good news, mailman parade, but the situation you describe is most certainly a letter carrier freelancing his duties and providing a favour. Letter carriers are NOT allowed to take it upon themselves to place a hold on delivery. Nor are they allowed to do alter delivery to a different address. Both of these are services that require a charge for implementation. If the letter carrier in question were to be found by management doing what you describe, he/she could most definitely be disciplined by the Corporation.

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    1. Everything you say is true but so what, It's called humanity and I'll take that over unbending bureaucracy any day

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  2. I tend to agree. But 'favour doing' in the mail delivery biz is tricky. Management is usually unsympathetic toward a carrier who does what you describe because problems ALWAYS arise from the customer end. There will always be someone in the neighbourhood who will cry foul over someone receiving something they themselves might like to have. Or perhaps they were denied the very same thing and charged for the service they now see someone getting for free. Anyway, not to belabour the point, but what you refer to as "humanity" is fraught with headaches for the letter carrier who takes it upon themselves to practice such practices. Cheers.

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    1. I get what you're saying, he took on a huge amount of risk but yet he was undeterred

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  3. I decry the loss of these jobs, and I decry the increased anonymity that comes with not knowing your letter carrier. I do not want to see these cuts go through. However, there is no big deal in having a community mailbox. Older adults and anyone with mobility issues can be provided for. Walking down the street to get your mail is not evil. It is not even a big deal. I hate to see good jobs be eliminated, but labour folks are acting as if the community mailbox is the end of civilization... even though millions of Canadians (like me) use them right now.

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    1. There will be much controversy when they try to find space for them where none exists like the old cities of Toronto and East York

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    2. Recent Nova Scotia rural customer converts to CMB's have been made to travel up to 20km return trip to get their mail. So we will see how "end of civilization" it is for city folk who may or may not have community mailboxes placed any where near their residences. Not being a "big deal" is definitely subjective.

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    3. Yes of course, completely subjective. 20 kms to check mail is ridiculous, few would disagree. I just hate when our side resorts to hyperbole. I'd leave that to the right-wingers.

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    4. If you don't shout loudly enough the lies the other side uses will drown you out, a little hyperbole can be an effective weapon.
      However I do feel dirty whenever I do stoop to that level lol

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  4. The reality is this is not new. Many Canadians have had community mailboxes for years. In many small villages, there hasn't mail delivery in decades - you have to go the local post office. The situation described above is indeed heartwarming, but very rare. Many of us have never even seen our letter carrier. Of all the issues out there, this is not a category killer.

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