'devastating': chinatown’s last post office set to close
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the only canada post outlet in vancouver's chinatown and downtown eastside neighbourhood at 418 main street is due to close november 12.
jason payne
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canada post has announced it plans to close chinatown’s only post office.
the branch, located at the corner of main and e. hastings, will close on nov. 12 as part of sweeping cost-saving measures announced by the crown corporation.
“the loss of this branch would deepen inequity and isolation in a community already facing displacement and gentrification,” savechinatownyvr, an organization fighting to keep the post office open, said in a statement.
the proposed closure set off an online campaign to save the facility, which supporters have called a lifeline for the community.
the next nearest post office is about 0.5 kilometres way. many customers do not drive and go to this outlet because it is within walking distance of their homes or their community centre, said jenny kwan, the ndp mp for vancouver east.
“you have to remember we’re talking about community members in their 70s, 80s and even 90s. walking is not an easy task,” kwan said.
brianne powar who goes to a gym in the chinatown neighbourhood. the only canada post outlet in vancouver’s chinatown and downtown eastside neighbourhood at 418 main street is due to close nov. 12 .
jason payne
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maggie lord, president of the non-profit carnegie community centre association, across the street from the post office, said the distance is too far for residents, including herself.
“i’ve been here for almost seven years but i know people that have been in this area for 40 or 50 years, and they all say the post office has been here as long as we’ve been here,” lord said.
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canada post says it advises customers to visit the nearest post office about 650 metres away, in the london drugs store on hastings and abbott streets.
some mail pickups are being redirected to commercial drive, nearly 3.5 kilometres away, according to savechinatownyvr.
“this post office serves some of the city’s most vulnerable and marginalized residents: low-income individuals, seniors, migrants, and people with disabilities who rely on physical mail for vital government documents, income assistance cheques, health care information, and personal communication,” the organization wrote on a recent social media post.
kwan said she was alerted to the closure several weeks ago by a post office user who saw a notice tacked on the door.
she said the closure would be “devastating” for chinatown and the downtown eastside neighbourhoods, which are already struggling with poverty, mental illness and housing and the opioid crises.
“this community is one of the most vulnerable communities in all of canada, and many are vulnerable, seniors, people with disabilities and the services they rely on in the neighbourhood are critical to them,” said kwan.
in an open letter, kwan called on canada post ceo doug ettinger and joel lightbound, the minister responsible for canada post, to put the planned closure on hold and conduct meaningful consultation with the community.
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brianna powar, who recently moved here from a u.s. island in the gulf strait, knows the importance of a local post office.
“i’m from a small town,” powar said. “if (a post office) shut down, everybody would be screwed.”
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