By Derek Cornet

Outgoing mail in La Ronge sent to Saskatoon and back

Jan 12, 2018 | 11:00 AM

A letter sent in La Ronge to another local address will land in Saskatoon before reaching the recipient’s mailbox. 

That’s because all outgoing mail in La Ronge through Canada Post, even if it’s for a post office box in the same building it’s sent from, is now being sorted in Saskatchewan’s largest city. The change was confirmed in an email from the federal Crown corporation, which stated mail has been sent to Saskatoon since last fall.

“We have high-speed sorting equipment that allows us to sort the mail faster than the manual sort that was being done locally,” media relations spokesperson Darcia Kmet said in an email. “This ensures that all mail, regardless of the address or destination, is handled and processed the same way and that all of our customers receive the same level of service.”

The email also stated all mail in rural areas of the province is being sorted in Saskatoon or Regina, and the changes in La Ronge will not affect employee hours. It noted, with all mail going through the sorting system, Canada Post is able to keep track of volumes which helps determine where to deploy resources. 

When Town of La Ronge account associate Connie McPhail recently learned about the change she said she wasn’t impressed. She does the billing for the town and told council at a recent regular meeting that some people could start to get late charges if they don’t receive their bills in a timely manner. McPhail also doesn’t understand why the mail can’t be delivered the same day considering the post office boxes are merely feet away from the customer service counter.

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“When I do my bills, they are printed in box order,” she said. “All they have to do is open up the box when I take it there and go in a row at the mailboxes.”

Council expressed concerns about the change after McPhail informed them about it and will now write a letter to Canada Post to voice an objection in writing. 

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno