Lower North Shore: Weeks of waiting for the mail

The mayor of Blanc Sablon, Andrew Etheridge, deplored Canada Post’s decision to commission SkyJet to deliver the mail.

Mr. Etheridge asserts that awarding the contract to the company at the beginning of the month diminishes the quality of the service it provides to citizens.

This winter, the mayor of Blanc Sablon was offended to learn that Air Liaison had stopped helping people with limited mobility board their planes.

Since Route 138 does not go to his village, only the air route allows his citizens to leave the Lower North Coast for the rest of Quebec.

Andrew Etheridge said, “If people weren’t strong in their legs, they couldn’t fly at all.”

So he was anxious to learn that Air Liaison’s company, SkyJet, had won a postal delivery contract from Canada Post to serve his village at the start of the month.

A concern is confirmed by one of his compatriots, Armand Juncas, who confirms that mail was not delivered to mailboxes from 3 to 14 August in the Blanc Sablon.

Canada Post declined the interview request.

“There have unfortunately been occasional delays recently due to mechanical issues or crew availability issues,” a company spokesperson wrote in an email sent to TVA Nouvelles.

“Three flights have been organized on Friday and Saturday, August 11th and 12th, with the aim of catching up and ensuring all mail backlogged is delivered on Monday, August 14th in affected communities on the Lower North Shore. […]. The carrier has made the necessary adjustments and scheduled flights are now expected to proceed normally.”

Lower North Shore residents have had to be patient for years.

“Usually it’s supposed to be about two weeks, maybe three, depending on the weather. But this year, sometimes it’s a month, maybe two. And to get a letter from Chevery to Blanc-Sablon, it took three to four weeks. That’s awful,” he said. Andrew Etheridge.

For her part, Maniquaghan Federal Representative Marilyn Gill has, on numerous occasions, intervened in the file.

“The bond of trust with a state corporation can be difficult for residents,” she said.

Marilène Gill has been negotiating with Canada Post for years to find solutions, such as shipping by boat or color coding on packages.

“There are many possibilities, we did it in consultation with the entire MRC Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent company, but the state company, in my opinion, is not moving,” she added.