Rumours of the imminent closure of the Burns Lake post office are not based on any facts coming out of Canada Post, said spokesperson Eugene Knapik.
“There’s been no decision or announcement regarding downsizing or closure [of the post office] in Burns Lake.”
A petition circulating in Smithers concerning the possible closure of their post office is being spearheaded by the local Canadian Union of Postal Workers there. In comments to local media in Smithers, Mark Barralon, president of CUPW 828, suggested that the Burns Lake post office is on the same list of possible closures or reductions of services as the Smithers post office.
But Knapik said that people are getting ahead of themselves. Canada Post is currently only in an information gathering and consultation stage.
“Recently there was a report by the Conference Board of Canada suggesting that if Canada Post doesn’t make some very big changes in the coming year, we’re going to be a burden on the tax payer,” Knapik explained. “We know we have to make changes. We don’t take those changes lightly. We’re asking Canadians what think, what kind of postal service are you going to need in the future.”
Canada Post is collecting public feed back through an online survey found at canadapost.ca.
There is no deadline for the consultation process, and Canada Post hasn’t set a date for any decision regarding the closure or reduction of service at any postal outlets. Instead, nothing is off the table.
“We’ve been struggling financially,” Knapik said. “We’re looking at all kinds of options across the country. I’m not ruling anything out, but we haven’t made any decision or announcement regarding Burns Lake.”
With files from the Interior News