Mail service is citing ‘health and safety’ concerns for postal workers
VANCOUVER—The sun illuminates the south side of the street of East Hastings on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, coating the facades of some of the oldest buildings in the city with warm rays. The north side’s buildings, meanwhile, have blocked out the brightness, leaving the sidewalk dark and cold.
This week marked the sixth anniversary of the declaration of the fentanyl epidemic, which has taken a particularly ruthless toll on these streets and alleys. Across the province, 9,400 people have died from overdoses during the crisis,But while the challenges of the DTES march on, one federal government service has said it doesn’t want any part of these two blocks, at least for the time being.
“When there is a situation at a delivery location that is unsafe for our employees, we work with the customer or property management to resolve the issue and resume regular service as soon as possible.”Some in the area want to know why. “It just seems really unfair to me that our folks who are already marginalized and already struggle with so many things would then not get this essential service,” she said.
Canada Post did not provide anyone for an interview or detail what the health and safety concerns are. A report by Vancouver’s local CTV newsroom said workers had complained of seeing open drug use and being verbally abused. For now, the mail won’t go through. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers did not respond to a request for comment.
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