Carseland community group working to reopen post office

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Carseland community group is formulating plans to reopen the hamlet’s post office, despite the recent installation of community mailboxes by Canada Post.
Canada Post Carseland, located at 104 Main Street in the 525-resident hamlet, has been closed since an overnight break-in in late December 2019. However, its long-term viability has been in jeopardy since Canada Post was unable to replace its postmaster, who retired in December 2018, despite two hiring competitions.
Since the break-in, residents have had to visit the Strathmore post office to get their mail until Feb. 21, 2020, when Canada Post opened a community mailbox installation in the parking lot of the Bow River Alliance Church on Main Street in Carseland.
However, while residents can now receive letters and small parcels locally, they must still travel to Strathmore for retail services or to receive large parcels or items requiring a signature.
Finding a new postmaster has proved difficult because unlike Strathmore’s post office which is a corporate retail outlet funded and operated by Canada Post, Carseland’s post office is a group outlet, meaning its postmaster must fund the rent and utilities for the office, explained Donna Biggar, Wheatland County’s Division 3 councillor.
“They couldn’t get a postmaster that wanted to work here,” said Biggar.
To help make the position more attractive to applicants, Carseland residents and community groups are exploring ways to provide the necessary funding, she said.
“It’s up to the community to stand together and think of ways that they keep the post office. We are getting together as a community to support (them) by paying the rent,” said Biggar. “The Carseland Agricultural Society is the one spearheading it; they thought that if everybody who had a post office box, if they volunteered to buy a $15 yearly membership, that would be enough to pay for the rent of the building.”
However, as this plan relies on volunteered contributions only, the Carseland and District Community Association and Agricultural Society is approaching other local organizations, including the Carseland Lions Club and the Carseland Public Benefit Club, to also provide funding help, noted Biggar.
The postmaster position is once again being advertised on the Canada Post website; applications close on March 8.
The Carseland and District Community Association and Agricultural Society will hold a meeting on March 21 for members to vote on whether to proceed with the plan, said Bev Ross, the executive assistant with the organization.
“It’s been a bumpy road – the community will let us know what they want to do,” she said. “The board is for going ahead with helping out with the costs with reopening the post office.”
Having the post office closed has hurt business, said Mark Simon, owner of Mark’s Parts, an automotive supply store located in the same plaza.
“Immediately following (the post office closing), I had way, way less customers,” he said. “It definitely makes a difference having it in town – it’s a reason for people to come to town.”