Don’t wait for the weekend to mail those packages.
Residents and local businesses served by the Gibsons Canada Post office were notified by letters that, as of Dec. 2, the Gower Point Road office will be closed Saturdays effective immediately.
“Due to a temporary staff shortage at the Gibsons Post Office, we will unfortunately need to reduce post office hours,” the letter from Canada Post stated.
The office on Gower Point Road will now be open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. While the office is regularly closed on Sundays, it was previously open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
The letter also said Canada Post is “working hard to resolve the situation and resume our regular post office hours.”
In an email to Coast Reporter on Dec. 6, Phil Legault, a media relations person for Canada Post, said the post outlet at London Drugs at 1-900 Gibsons Ways is still open seven days a week.
“We thank the residents of Gibsons for their patience and understanding. If customers have questions regarding mail delivery, they can also contact Canada Post's Customer Service team (1-866-607-6301),” Legault said.
“We are experiencing a few localized situations where a post office may reduce hours or temporarily close due to staffing issues,” the email said. “We continue to put contingency measures in place to serve customers. With a national network of over 6,000 post offices, local staffing issues can occur for a number of reasons and we make every effort to minimize the impacts on service.”
Canada Post, Legault said, is not experiencing or anticipating service disruptions in its delivery network related to the federal vaccine mandate that includes postal workers.
The corporation’s mandatory vaccine policy came into effect for all Canada Post employees on Nov. 27, and includes those working in a facility or remotely.
“To date, 95 per cent of active employees have fully complied,” the Dec. 6 email from Canada Post said. “We are pleased with this response from our employees, who have worked throughout the pandemic to serve Canadians. Employees who have not complied with the Practice were placed on leave without pay as of November 27.”
