TORONTO – Canada Post has been thrown into the spotlight after two packages containing human body parts had been shipped through the Crown corporation’s mail system Tuesday.
It was a grisly discovery for staff at the Conservative Party’s headquarters in Ottawa when a severed foot was sent in a simple white box with a red cartoon heart drawn on it. Police announced later that night that a second package had been intercepted, and it contained a human hand.
Questions surrounding the postal carrier’s standard protocol on how packages are screened aren’t being answered, though.
Canada Post is refusing to respond to reporters who are asking how packages are handled, what security measures are in place and if extra precautions will be implemented to determine if more suspicious packages have made it into the system.
“As you can appreciate, this is an ongoing police investigation to which we are collaborating but cannot provide any further details. It would be irresponsible and inappropriate for us to do so,” Canada Post spokeswoman Anick Losier told Global News in an email.
The postal carrier’s website sheds light on what can and cannot be mailed but doesn’t explain how it polices what is mailed in the country.
What cannot be mailed?
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Canada Post calls items that cannot be mailed “non-mailable matter.” That includes anything that’s “illegal, obscene, fraudulent,” contains sexually explicit material, unless it’s in an opaque envelope with the words “ADULT MATERIAL” written on it.
Anything else that causes injury to staff handling mail or causes damage to postal equipment is also deemed “non-mailable matter.”
Some items also fall under the criminal code and other offences, the website shows.
Anything that is “obscene, indecent, immoral or scurrilous,” related to betting or wages, unlawful lottery schemes, meant to defraud the public, or sent with an intention to obtain money under false pretenses fall under this category.
What are some specific items that cannot be mailed?
Here’s a list of items named on the Canada Post website as non-mailable:
– Replica weapons and devices that simulate explosions, such as inert grenades and other fake military munitions
– Tobacco products (unless they’re shipped within the province, or shipped from manufacturer to retailer, or if they’re shipped to a customer as a replacement, free of charge)
– Firearms (Canadians have to contact the Canadian Firearms Centre to see if they can ship certain firearms)
What can be mailed?
Most items identified on the Canada Post website can be shipped so long as they follow requirements in packaging.
– Drugs are allowed, but they are subject to various restrictions
– Perishable items, such as fish, game, fruit and vegetables can be mailed if they are “properly prepared” and meet requirements for mailing
– Certain live animals, such as bees, day-old chicks, parasites and leeches, and some cold blooded animals can be mailed under conditions
– Dead animals or their parts (antlers of a deer, pelts, nests, eggs) can be mailed if requirements are met under the Canadian Wildlife Service
Is there any reference to human body parts?
Under medical/biological materials, Canada Post says blood specimens – human and animal – spinal fluid, and other specimens can be sent if they meet packaging requirements.
What happens when items are shipped?
Canada Post packages are affixed with a machine-readable code used to trace its progress through the mail system. Codes do not provide the sender’s address, but it shows which postal station the package originated from.
Ian Anderson, head of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers local for Ottawa, told reporters in the nation’s capital that police may have been able to use the bar codes on the first package to locate the second package found at the sorting facility.
How does Canada Post police packages?
The postal carrier refused to respond to questions about how often and when packages are screened. It also refused to comment on what measures may be in place to protect Canadians from receiving suspicious packages.
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