Langdon looks to save post office

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Residents of Langdon are going to see some changes to the availability of postal services in their community come the new year, as Canada Post prepares to pull the local post office at the end of December.

Rocky View County Division 7 Coun. Al Schule said the topic has been under discussion in Langdon for several months, as there was a lot of confusion and a lack of clear information regarding the future of the office. 

“There seems to be a lack of communication between Canada Post, the people they were leasing from, and their own employees,” said Schule. “The last Post Master gave her two months (notice) about two months ago that they were leaving, and so then (Canada Post) really didn’t act on it, and other people have been trying to take over the post office.”

Schule added he, as well as many in the local community are actively working to save their local post office, including whether the county will be able to do anything to help. 

The fear, he explained, is that the community of approximately 6,000 people is poised to experience significant growth in the next few years, and will be left without a local post office. 

Residence and many businesses would be forced to commute to either Chestermere or Strathmore to send or receive mail. 

“The way Langdon is growing, to lose a post office is absolutely ridiculous. It is going to hurt businesses and everything here,” said Schule. “It is going to be hard on residents and businesses who rely on the post office quite a bit for parcels and normal business duties when they are sending stuff out.”

According to Schule, there is also a great deal of confusion regarding what the responsibilities of a new post master would be, and whether they are being fairly compensated. 

He added he would like to see more active communication from Canada Post with those who have been applying to take over the post office so the hamlet does not lose a critical service. 

Schule said he has been in touch with Bow River Riding MP, Martin Shields, to ask for aid from the Government of Canada to help remedy the situation.

For residents and businesses, until a solution can be reached, Schule suggested to have parcels and mail delivered directly to their doors whenever possible.

During a previous transition of postal responsibilities within the community, Schule said he remembers several complaints and instances which saw residents going to Strathmore to collect their parcels, only to discover packages had actually been sent to Calgary.

He recommended Langdon residents to call the Canada Post corporate office to make their concerns known to the company.