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Canada Post apologizes after hockey sticks scold note

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Canada Post has apologized for taking a Tyrrell man to task for his hockey stick memorial to the victims of the Humboldt bus crash.

“This was clearly a hasty error by an individual employee and we apologize,” Jon Hamilton, Canada Post’s general manager of communications, said Friday in an email to The Reformer.

“In fact, many of our employees have posted sticks outside post offices across the country in support. What we have seen from employees is nothing but support for the team and those affected.”

Hamilton is referring to a note Dave Zeldon of Townsend Concession 13 received Thursday with his regular mail.

Like thousands of Canadians across the country, Zeldon has strapped hockey sticks to his roadside box in solidarity with the Humboldt Broncos Jr. A hockey club and the 16 individuals who have died as a result of a horrific bus crash in Saskatchewan April 6.

The note left Zeldon surprised and perplexed.

Zeldon was confused because neither of the two sticks in question was blocking access to his box. The only problem he could surmise was that the butt-end of one stick was resting against the red plastic flag that carriers raise when the box contains mail.

“I thought it was a little overboard,” Zeldon said Friday. “I said 'Come on pal.’ Some people have to exert their authority I guess. Some people aren’t hockey players and just don’t get it.”

The heading on the pre-printed note said “We had trouble delivering your mail!” Of the six items on the checklist below, the carrier had ticked off “Other” and written “hockey stick in front of mailbox” beside it.

“Please correct these hazards to ensure ongoing delivery,” the note says. “Thanking you for your co-operation.”

Zeldon shared the incident with friends over coffee. Martin MacNeil of Simcoe was also taken aback.

“Why even issue it?” MacNeil said. “Did the sticks cause you grievous harm? You were able to complete your job. What’s the problem? There was no need for a note like that. Just grin and bear it and try to look beyond the small-fry issues.”

A photo of the notice Zeldon received is circulating on social media. Hamilton said Canada Post has contacted Zeldon and spoken to him about the incident.

In his communication with The Reformer, Hamilton said Canada Post employees are very much in tune with the magnitude of the Humboldt tragedy and are feeling it deeply.

“Many employees from across the country proudly wore jerseys in our facilities and while delivering mail and parcels to our customers (on Thursday),” he said.

MSonnenberg@postmedia.com

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