Some Watford residents are fed up with missed deliveries due to a requirement by Canada Post.
Martina Jackson is one of them.
In her online appeal, which has received 160 signatures so far, she called the requirement a "barrier for the residents."
"Local residents are missing shipments on crucial supplies that they need and may not be able to source in town," said Jackson. "They are missing shipments from other carriers who won't deliver if there is a PO box included. They are unable to send condolences, congratulations, etc. without knowing someone's PO box. It is a hardship to our community and not a requirement in others."
Warwick Township council directed staff in September to send a letter to the postmaster at the Strathroy Post Office and Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MP Lianne Rood outlining the concerns.
The letter, written by Chief Administrative Officer/Clerk Amanda Gubbels, alleged that Canada Post employees in Strathroy told a number of residents the township approved the requirement.
"Warwick Township council has heard a high volume of complaints on the PO Box requirement on mail for Watford over the last few years," Gubbels wrote. "In follow up, the township itself has contacted Canada Post about our concerns and they have repeatedly been dismissed by Canada Post. To confirm, Warwick Township council, or its staff representatives, have never approved the requirement for PO Boxes to be required for mail service in Watford; for Canada Post to advise our community of this false information is unacceptable."
Gubbels told council, at its meeting on Monday, a response was received last month.
"This is the first time the December 1st correspondence has been shared with council," she said. "As you know, and as the community knows, we have had some continued concerns with the post system in Watford over the last couple of years."
The response, from Canada Post Chief Operating Officer Manon Fortin, said he was "disappointed to learn" some residents felt the community was being "unfairly targeted by the change."
"I can assure you there are thousands of customers in hundreds of communities across Canada that use a PO Box as their prime mode of delivery and share their PO Box address accordingly," Fortin said. "Please be assured our local operations team remains responsive to any feedback and will continue to be mindful of how Canada Post's requirements are communicated to customers day to day. As well, our local team was reminded that Canada Post does not require municipal approvals on the administration of modes of delivery or mailing addresses -- I want to reiterate [a] sincere apology for this misunderstanding."
Mayor Todd Case said Monday they're still waiting for a resolution.
"This is something that we've all been dealing with here," said Case. "People having mail returned over the holidays, and before that even, and we're trying to resolve this situation."
CAO Gubbels said staff plan to meet with Canada Post representatives again soon.
"We will be working to schedule a meeting with Canada Post at the ROMA [Rural Ontario Municipal Association] conference coming up this January, to discuss the concerns of our community and a potential solution forward to address them," said Gubbels. "In the meantime, we'll continue -- on our staff end -- to collect any complaints from members of council, or members of the public, to ensure that Canada Post, and our contact at Canada Post specifically, is made aware."
Gubbels is encouraging Watford residents to contact the township for assistance if they're having service issues.
"The municipality's hope is that in working with Canada Post, hopefully soon, we can arrive at a long term solution to this issue," she said.