Advertisement

Southern Alberta community rallies to keep post office in Priddis

Click to play video: 'Southern Alberta community rallies to keep post office in Priddis'
Southern Alberta community rallies to keep post office in Priddis
WATCH ABOVE: A small community just outside Calgary has come together to save their rural post office. The hamlet of Priddis was faced with losing their mail outlet, but as Tony Tighe reports, within just a few days residents rallied to save it – Oct 28, 2016

The old school house in the southern Alberta hamlet of Priddis has been home to the post office for decades, but the building has seen better days. There are plans to build a new multi-purpose centre, but Canada Post can’t wait that long.

“The post office has notified us that we have until November 1 to decide if we want to keep the post office in a different location or have it move out of the hamlet altogether,” Priddis Community Association spokesperson Ed Osborne said.

READ MORE: Canada Post not viable without ‘transformational changes’, says task force

Eight-hundred rural families rely on the Priddis outlet for mail and parcels.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“People have a sense of ownership, a sense of passion towards keeping it here, as well as convenience,” councillor Suzanne Oel said.

Story continues below advertisement

“It is really part of the community to have a post office. It’s a central location for people, brings business to the hamlet.”

Residents held a meeting to try to find a spot and agreed on a temporary location in the Priddis strip mall.

READ MORE: Canada Post reaches tentative two-year deal with union

The landlord reduced the rent and then a call went out for donations to help pay the lease, utilities and renovations.

“More than one quarter of the residents in Priddis Greens and Hawk’s Landing have come forward with donations,” resident Roberta Roesler said.

The Priddis postmaster has submitted a plan for the temporary location to Canada Post and is now waiting for a decision.

“This initiative has really galvanized the community and got people to focus on something that’s important to them,” Osborne said.

To the people in and around the small, rural hamlet, a post office is more than just a building: it’s part of the community.

Sponsored content

AdChoices