Canada Post says it suspended service to two more apartment buildings in Toronto after residents were reportedly seen not wearing masks.
Residents of 100 and 150 Graydon Hall, near Don Mills Road and Highway 401, are being asked to now pick up their mail at the nearest post office, 70 Wynford Dr., which is more than six kilometres away from the buildings.
A statement from Canada Post to Global News on Sunday said the reasoning is due to “safety concerns.”
“Within the areas of the buildings delivery employees must access to deliver mail, some individuals are not wearing masks. This is a safety risk and we have advised the buildings’ management,” the statement explained.
“Service will resume once it is safe to do so.”
Under a City of Toronto bylaw, residents of apartment buildings and condos are required to wear masks in common areas. Exemptions under the bylaw are children under the age of two or people with underlying medical conditions.
President of the Graydon Hall’s tenant’s association, Robert Field, told Global News on Monday this isn’t the first time that mail delivery was suspended — the first time being in early February.
Field said property management has been very good about posting signage about the mask mandate and he’s been using social media to keep residents apprised of the rules and restrictions. But the issue, Field said, is you can’t always enforce it.
“Some people don’t wear masks because they’re medically exempt but some people don’t wear masks because they think it’s an issue.”
“The consequence if Canada Post continues the suspension is that people have to then make arrangements to go to the depot, 20 minutes away … and not everybody has that mobility,” Field continued, adding both times the suspensions occurred there was no real notice for residents.
Field said he has spoken to property management and will be speaking to Canada Post to hopefully “figure out how to compromise this.”
Ginny Lockyer told Global News she’s been a resident for 10 years of one of the buildings and said she’s seen numerous people, including families not complying with the mask mandate.
“I understand completely and it’s unfair to our postal workers that they have to be involved with people who don’t want to wear masks and it’s disturbing for us too because there are a lot of people in the building who walk around without their masks on,” Lockyer said.
“Just follow the rules, it doesn’t hurt to follow the rules.”
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Lockyer said she doesn’t drive and doesn’t want to use transit to go pick up her mail due to the ongoing pandemic.
“It’s unfair in that sense,” she said, suggesting postal workers could potentially come to the building and residents can come to them to receive the mail — wearing masks, however.
In mid-February, Global News reported Canada Post stopped delivering mail to two other apartment buildings at 103 and 105 West Lodge Ave., in the area of Lansdowne Avenue and Queen Street West, for the same reason.
For those buildings, residents were asked to go to a depot located on Commissioners Street, which is almost 11 kilometres away or an over hour-long, three-stop transit ride.
Residents from the West Lodge buildings also told Global News they were not told whether they’d be contacted by Canada Post if they have mail to pick up. This left residents questioning whether they would have to make the trek to the office just in case they may have mail.
—With files from Sean O’Shea
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