Mailbox thefts prompt Canada Post to halt delivery to some Kelowna residents

Canada Post stopped delivering to Lorna Soderling after her mailbox was broken into mid-November.

“Quite frankly I don’t think it should be taking weeks and weeks to deal with this,” Soderling, a resident in Kelowna’s Gallagher’s Canyon, said.

For the last three weeks, she’s been making the trek downtown to pick up her Christmas cards and letters.

Many of Soderling’s neighbours had their mailboxes broken into as well.

An email from the village manager in Gallagher’s Canyon warned that one resident reported personal information gained by thieves was used to apply for credit cards.

“That’s something you never think of, and that’s a problem. That’s a serious problem,” Soderling said.

The email warned residents to check with their banks to ensure their information hadn’t been compromised, and if they found any issues, to contact RCMP.

“It puts you on edge a little bit, knowing how quick and easy they can compromise personal information,” local resident Don Crisanti said.

Crisanti said part of his problem is not knowing what might have been stolen.

“Some mail has been missing, but we don’t know exactly everything that’s been missing because you don’t always know what you’re going to get at this time of year,” he said.

In a statement, Canada Post confirmed there was an incident at a group mailbox and apologized to customers who need to temporarily pick up their mail.

“The incident was reported to the RCMP, Canada Post Security and Investigations and local operations,” Phil Legault, a Canada Post spokesperson, said.

“We are working as hard and quickly as possible to return our customers to their regular group mailbox service.”

To help prevent identity fraud, Canda Post recommends collecting mail daily and holding your mail when you’re out of town. It also says to ensure your address is changed with all of your financial institutions if you move.