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.
For Dave Law, it all comes down to fairness. The long-time Channing resident is calling on Canada Post to give the subdivision the same, lower postage rates as the rest of Flin Flon. 'I don't see why we should be paying extra for postage,' says Law. 'We're all part of Flin Flon.' Channing is the only portion of Flin Flon whose postal code begins with R0B rather than R8A. The Channing postal code is classified as 'rural,' meaning there is a slightly higher cost to send a parcel from the subdivision. On an average parcel _ weighing one kilogram and measuring five inches cubed _ that amounts to about $1.67 extra. 'Sure you can argue that that's not a lot of money,' says Law, a retired carpenter, 'but it's the principle of the thing more than anything.' Law has taken his concerns to Canada Post directly, and has thought about contacting MP Niki Ashton, but there are no plans to change the system yet. Canada Post spokesperson John Caines says the corporation can't predict what will happen until a new postmaster is hired in Channing. The latest postmaster resigned effective March 28, and Caines says the corporation is now 'in the community outreach process' and accepting applications. See 'How' on pg. Continued from pg. But Law doesn't see how the vacancy is related to the higher rates in Channing. 'I think it's a Canada Post decision because the new postmaster that comes in is just going to be an employee,' he says. Law says a Canada Post official told him she was unaware of any other community in Canada that lacks a uniform postage rate. He says all Flin Flon and Channing mail ends up at the Flin Flon post office, so he sees no need to charge anyone a premium. Law says it has always struck him as unusual that the subdivision's residents are to list their mailing address as 'Channing.' 'Channing, Manitoba, exists, but so does Birchview (another Flin Flon subdivision) in the same respect,' he says. While Canada Post is attempting to hire a new Channing postmaster, there is no guarantee a qualified candidate will be found. If that ends up being the case, Caines says the corporation 'will have to consider other options in order to continue to provide postal service' to Channing. Since the closure of the Channing post office, residents have been forced to go to the Flin Flon post office to receive and send mail. Law, a former city councillor, says the situation is not ideal. 'That's not a very convenient forum to get your mail,' he says, adding that not everyone in Channing has a vehicle or access to downtown Flin Flon. Whether it's another postmaster or the establishment of door-to-door mail delivery as the rest of Flin Flon enjoys, Law says Channing people 'certainly want to have something out here to get our mail.'
