The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Canada Post has announced a serious delay in the delivery of incoming international mail due to a backlog at the Canadian Border Services Agency in Vancouver. "Parcels coming into Canada are taking up to five weeks to clear Customs", said spokesman Cal Hart. "While we understand the need for security precautions, this situation is unacceptable for our business and for Canadians. We can't deliver the product until it is cleared by Customs." Canada Post receives dispatches from foreign posts on a daily basis and relies on the Canadian Border Services Agency officials in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal to review incoming mail admissibility to Canada as well as the assessment of any duties and taxes. Since August 2002, mail has been subjected to backlogs at the Customs centre in Vancouver and today more than 150,000 packages (45 tractor-trailer loads) are waiting for Customs clearance in the Vancouver Mail Processing Plant. "Not only is the backlog affecting our ability to deliver these items to our customers, it is now putting a strain on our equipment and tying up 100,000 square feet of operational space in the Vancouver plant", said Hart. "Canadians are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the delays, to the point where Canada Post call centres are receiving up to 160 complaints per day."
