Alta. post office struggling to stay open following Canada Post vaccine mandate: mayor
The mayor of a town northeast of Edmonton says its Canada Post is barely able to stay open after the Crown corporation mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for employees.
Lamont's post office was closed Monday without advance warning because of staffing issues.
The location has roughly 1,500 boxes, and serves a number of rural county residents.
Mayor Kirk Perrin told CTV News Edmonton it was able to open for the rest of the week, thanks to workers from other locations.
"It's been new staff every single day and it's just kind of chaos there, but it is opening and they're doing the best they can," Perrin said.
The mayor acknowledged he has "no idea what's happening with the regular staff," but he's heard the staff shortages are related to Canada Post's vaccine mandate. He also believes other communities are facing the same issue.
It's the first kind of service disruption Perrin has experienced during his eight years in Lamont, a town of about 2,000 people 60 kilometres outside Edmonton.
Canada Post and other federally regulated agencies followed the federal government's suit in the late summer in making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory across the federal public service.
Canada Post's policy came into effect on Nov. 27, just two days before Lamont's post office's Monday closure.
According to Alberta Health, 69 per cent of all people in Lamont County have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Just under 65 per cent are fully vaccinated. The rates are about level with those seen in most of its neighbouring counties.
In a statement to CTV News Edmonton, Canada Post acknowledged "there may be a few isolated cases where a post office may see reduced hours or temporarily close due to staffing issues," but said it wasn't otherwise anticipating any major service disruptions.
Yet the impact felt by Lamont residents and businesses hasn't been small.
"It's huge, especially the time of year," Perrin told CTV News Edmonton.
The community has a larger elderly population. Some residents aren't able to drive the hour to Edmonton for services.
"For those people who either rely on medication or regular shipments, via parcels and Canada Post, for medication or supplies or whatever, it's really acute… Not only that, but it's the time of year where they're looking to connect with friends and family from abroad," the mayor said.
"The emotions range definitely from concern, frustration, anger, a lot of confusion. You know, there are no answers. No one has any answers here."
Canada Post is not revealing how many of its employees are complying with its vaccine mandate, except that it is "the vast majority."
"[It] applies to all employees – those working in a Canada Post facility and those working remotely. Any employee who is not currently in compliance with the policy has been placed on leave without pay. Our Mandatory Vaccination Practice is the latest step in our ongoing commitment to keep our people, and the communities we serve, safe," a statement from the Crown corporation read.
There are more than 6,000 Canada Posts across the country.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We've been abandoned': Man dies in B.C. town waiting for health care near ambulance station
For the second time in less than a month, a resident of Ashcroft, B.C., died while waiting for health care after having a heart attack mere metres from a local ambulance station.

'I have to fight for myself': Quadriplegic man says N.S. government told him to live in a hospital
A diving accident at 14-years-old left Brian Parker paralyzed from the chest down. Now at age 49, he's without the person who was caring for him full-time until just last week, after his 68-year-old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Canadian home sales fall for 5th month in a row, down 29 per cent from last July
Canada's average resale home price fell 4.5% from a year ago in July and was down 5.4% on the month as buyers continued to sit on the sidelines amid rising borrowing costs.
Wet'suwet'en pipeline protest blocks Vancouver traffic
A large rally planned in Vancouver to protest the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C. blocked traffic Monday morning.
New COVID-19 booster targeting Omicron, original variants approved in U.K.
British drug regulators have become the first in the world to authorize an updated version of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine that aims to protect against the original virus and the omicron variant.
Thousands of Afghans who helped Canada trapped in Afghanistan, struggling to leave
Canadian MPs and veteran groups are urging ministers to do more to help thousands of Afghans who assisted Canadian Forces, but remain trapped in Afghanistan a year after the Taliban seized Kabul.
Pfizer CEO tests positive for COVID-19, has mild symptoms
The top executive at Pfizer, a leading producer of COVID-19 vaccines, has tested positive for the virus and says he is experiencing very mild symptoms.
Prince Harry, Meghan to visit U.K., Germany next month
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will visit the U.K. next month for the first time since they returned for Queen Elizabeth II 's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Padma Lakshmi 'worried and wordless' over attack on ex-husband Salman Rushdie
Padma Lakshmi is supporting her ex-husband Salman Rushdie in his recovery. The 'Top Chef' star tweeted Sunday that she is 'relieved' Rushdie is 'pulling through after Friday's nightmare' in which he was stabbed multiple times while on stage in New York.