Bachrach heads to Atlin, calls for changes to rural post office policy

“Rural residents deserve reliable, accessible postal service.” said Bachrach. “I’m looking forward to meeting in person with folks in Atlin and conveying their concerns and ideas to the Minister responsible.”

ATLIN- MP Taylor Bachrach (Skeena-Bulkley Valley) is travelling north to Atlin BC this week to discuss rural postal service with residents. Atlin lost its post office last year when the commercial building that housed it burned down. Since then, Canada Post has struggled to restore service to the community.

“Rural residents deserve reliable, accessible postal service.” said Bachrach. “I’m looking forward to meeting in person with folks in Atlin and conveying their concerns and ideas to the Minister responsible.”

According to Bachrach, several post offices in northwest BC have struggled with Canada’s Post’s “postmaster-provided” model, which makes postmasters responsible for providing a post office location.

“The model needs an update. In some communities there is a business that is keen to host the post office on their premises, but when that doesn’t exist, Canada Post needs to do more to secure facilities,” Bachrach adds. “This means reviewing the amount it is willing to pay for appropriate space — particularly in the face of rising real estate costs.”

Last year, Bachrach worked with residents in the rural community of Southbank to restore postal service after it lost both its post office and postmaster.

“In Southbank, the community pulled together and provided a workable space, but that’s not always possible,” says Bachrach.

Denise Sorenson, Vice-President of the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association also stressed the need for Canada Post to step up and provide postal facilities to communities.

“We believe that Canada Post should make exceptions for our postmaster provided premises which have been devastated by flood, fire, or other disasters, and provide an interim solution until the permanent location can be secured,” said Sorenson. “Our rural Post office is on the hubs of our community and mail and parcel delivery during their stressful incidents is key to supporting the communities which they serve.”

In addition to the challenges of securing facilities, low compensation makes it hard to recruit postmasters.

“Low compensation is clearly making it hard to find solutions that work for communities,” said Bachrach. “Postmasters deliver vital services to rural residents, and they deserve to be compensated accordingly.”

The starting wage for a rural postmaster is currently less than $20 per hour.

“It’s time for Canada Post to update its “postmaster-provided” model for rural postal services,” says Bachrach “Rural residents deserve equitable access to reliable mail and parcel delivery.”