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In early 2006, a decision to cease nnal Canada Post mail delivery was handed down by Human Resources and Social Development Canada because it was deemed a safety hazard for rural carriers. You’ve got mail. For some York Region residents, that still means driving to a com- munity mailbox. STAFF PHOTO/SJOERD WITTEVEEN Raphael Leccese wheels his flag-festooned scooter through what looks like a jungle at Hoover Park Drive and Ninth Line to the stores on Main Street in Stoufivflle last week. Stoufi‘uille "Fwy? THURSDAYJULYMZOOB I SERVINGTHE OMMUN WHITCHURCHâ€"STOU FVILLE 24 1| Mail service returns for some rural residents arm-mam 138WRJNt5 Prior to the decision, more than MAM“ BY AMANDA PERSICO Staff Writer 1,700 safety concerns were raised and 40 human resources rulings were brought against Canada Post regarding the safety of rural carri- ers. “Mth all the safety concerns, we could not come to a mutual agree- ment about rural routes,” said Scott Lewis, the Greater Toronto Area spokesperson for Canada Post. “We hope the temporary mail- boxes be only temporary.” Safety concerns for Canada Post drivers being addressed house by house Rural mailboxes were moved to SHOPPING EXPEDITION The cancellation of driveway delivery brought a storm of contro- versy from rural residents who were furious the service would no longer be available. community mailboxes, usually at the end of the road, until traflic assessments meet human resourc- es safety criteria. Many senior citizens com- plained they often could not get into trim in winter to pick up mail because of weather or poor health. Whitchurch-Stouffville resident Frank Van Veen used a community mailbox for more than two years. The box stood 600 metres east of his home near the comer of St. John's Sideroad and McGowan Road. “In the winter, the locks froze. You couldn’t get to the mailbox sometimes because of the snow “It was a pain in the butt,” he said. Over the ‘ past twoâ€"and-a- years, Canada Post has done traffic assessments to many of the 843,000 rural addresses. In along some rural routes, mail is stuffed back into the homeowner’s original mailbox at the end of the laneway. Mr. VanVeen noticed some of his neighbours moving their mailboxes earlier in June. He then received a letter from Canada Post saying that his mailbox location was unsafe for Wm a trip . Spons . . . . Classified . See SOME, page 14 905â€"640â€"4646 6312 Main St 18