Postal code changes are being considered for more than 1,000 addresses in the Shuswap.
At its May 18 meeting, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) opted to defer voting on whether to support a postal code change project until after Canada Post has communicated its plans to affected residents.
According to a message by Canada Post to the regoinal district, the project would bring postal code changes to 1,012 residences along four routes in Sorrento, Tappen and Blind Bay.
“This project aims to update the postal codes of those impacted from route service coding to their respective delivery facility code,” reads the item on the May 18 board agenda. “The goal is to support a future route restructure, currently planned for October 2023. Additionally, the routes will also be renamed as part of this change.”
Canada Post expects to begin its public engagement in July and will offer free mail forwarding for 12 months to those affected.
Electoral Area C director Marty Gibbons said he’s already received negative feedback from people, adding there’s a lot of confusion about why the postal code changes are necessary.
“The public has a lot of misgivings about this…, about how this will affect them,” said Gibbons. “It sounds like to me it’s simply for efficiency. But I think Canada Post needs to do a much better job of communicating to the people affected by it.”
Electoral Area E director Rhona Martin noted a postal code change comes with expense and inconvenience.
“For many people it’s an expense,” said Martin. “If you use your cheques often you have to get your address changes an things like that… and I guess Canada Post, like many things are doing things for their convenience, not the convenience of their customers.”
To the recommendation the board direct staff to send a response in support of the project, Martin said she didn’t feel qualified. Instead, she made a motion that the board defer its decision until after public engagement has taken place. This received the board’s unanimous support.
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