Warning: Do Not Use Canada Post's Xpresspost Service

 

On March 7, 2023, I sent a wedding present of $500 using Canada Post's Xpresspost. It cost $17.00 to mail for tracking and a two-day delivery expectation. Within 13 hours, it had vanished at the Calgary facility.

In a phone call with the Claims department, I was initially told I would be reimbursed according to how much insurance I’d bought. However, when the envelope was purchased, insurance was not offered (or even mentioned) as an option. 

Almost a month and a half later, the envelope has never turned up. I’ve since been informed that CP does not actually cover anything that someone would use Xpresspost to send. Their email advised me to reply if I had any questions, but when tried to do so, my email was returned as "rejected" by the recipient. I have since sent two more emails which have had no response. 

My questions are:

1/What is the explanation for my envelope disappearing? What does CP think happened to it?

2/How extensive has the investigation been and how long with it continue to be investigated?

3/What percentage of Xpresspost items actually do go missing? Are these envelopes being           scanned for valuables and deliberately targeted for theft? (I am inclined to think so..)

4/Is there such a thing as a dead letter department for Xpresspost where my envelope may be sitting for some reason? Has that even been checked?

In their email, CP apologized for any “inconvenience” they may have caused. Well, I’m afraid that losing $500, is considerably more than an inconvenience! I placed my trust in CP and when I paid 17 times the price of a regular letter, it was with the understanding that my envelope would be securely tracked and delivered as described. 

CANADA POST lost this on their watch! How can they possibly not be accountable? Their insurance should be covering the loss. And, if CP is not held accountable, what incentive is there for these losses to ever be taken seriously and properly investigated? 

My advice: Do not trust or use Canada Post Xpresspost!

 

MLA Drew Barnes disrespects and embarrasses Albertans again!

 

Drew Barnes, ousted UCP MLA now sitting as an independent, has once again disrespected and embarrassed Albertans, this time by inviting right-wing extremist and convoy organizer Tamara Lich to stand and be acknowledged in the Alberta Legislature on February 28th before the budget was tabled.

“A true leader within the freedom movement. She gave hope to all of Alberta, Canada and the world. She was proud to stand strong and free in face of the worst government overreach in a generation”, he announced.

Lich is presently charged with mischief, obstructing police, counselling to obstruct police, counselling intimidation and intimidation by blocking and obstructing one or more highways, along with breaching bail conditions in connection to the occupation of Ottawa in 2022. She is also known for her association with the Yellow Vest and Wexit movements as well as the separatist Maverick Party and support of the anti-Muslim Clarion Project.

More recently, Tamara Lich (right) is seen above in a photo op with German Member of the EU-Parliament – Alternative for Germany, Christine Anderson (left) and lawyer for convoy organizers, Keith Wilson (center). Christine Anderson and the AfD party hold extremist anti-Islamic, anti-immigration and German nationalist views. AfD party rhetoric has been described as ‘Nazi-like’ and ‘tinged with Nazi over-tones’.

And in this photo, Tamara Lich poses with anti-Islamic podcaster Tom Quiggin.

This is not the first time that Drew Barnes has disrespected Albertans. In February 2021, he joined a national coalition against lockdowns claiming Albertans had not been given adequate evidence to justify public health regulations, even though 1900 Albertans had already died from COVID-19 at that time and hospitals were operating in a crisis mode.

Asking for Tamara Lich to be acknowledged in the legislature is an outrage. The occupation of Ottawa had nothing to do with freedom. As citizens can attest, it was not ‘peaceful protest’ and Tamara and her cronies were nothing but bullies of the first order. But to have overlooked her racist affiliations is either very poor judgment on Drew Barnes’ part, or perhaps something worse. Either way, her introduction in the legislature was a total disgrace to most Albertans.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/freedom-convoy-tamara-lich-arrested-1.6503718.

 https://www.antihate.ca/the_freedom_convoy_is_nothing_but_a_vehicle_for_the_far_right 

Princess Elizabeth's Royal Visit to Calgary, October 1951

These are photos of the Royal Visit to Calgary taken by my father, Arnold Roberton in 1951. At that time, Elizabeth was still Princess Elizabeth and was visiting as the representative of her father, King George VI, who was unwell.                                 

Arrival at the C.P.R. Station in Calgary

Princess Elizabeth and Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh with Lieutenant Governor John J. Bowlen and below with Calgary Mayor Don Mackay outside City Hall.

In the motorcade.

 

A Reflection on Labour Day

 As Labour Day rolled out this year (2022), my thoughts were with the countless number of employees who were placed at risk every single day in my province (Alberta) during the COVID-19 pandemic because employers refused to comply with or enforce mask mandates. Even worse, when these employers were reported to the Alberta government, as they were time and time again, the government did nothing about it.

My question is: In cases where employees became seriously ill, developed long-COVID or even died from work-related COVID, what is the liability of employers who knowingly and deliberately ignored public health mandates? When I posed this question to the Alberta Occupation Health and Safety Board, the representative I spoke to would not even discuss the matter with me as I was just a ‘member of the public’ and not specifically an employee or and employee. 

Throughout the mandates, I often asked employees if they had the right to refuse to serve someone who was not wearing a mask. Most said ‘they didn’t know’, which suggested the subject had never even been discussed with them. I also asked managers and HR reps the same question, and for the most part they said ‘yes’, so why didn’t the employees know that? However, when I asked one manager in Extra Foods, a division of Loblaws, she informed me that they had actually been instructed by “head office” not to enforce the mask mandate. Subsequently, I wrote two letters (one in January 2022 and another in March 2022) to Loblaws corporate headquarters in Canada asking for clarification, but to date, have received no reply.

The photo above shows signage on the door of one business in Central Alberta, taken on September 12, 2021 while mask mandates in public places were in effect. Curiously enough, the business appears to have no problem complying with another public health mandate which prohibits pets from entering the store –  much more serious, apparently, than protecting staff and customers against a potentially deadly virus.

Freedom Convoy? NOT!

 

What is currently happening in Ottawa, and other Canadian locations has nothing to do with freedom. It’s about a mob that has been ramped up through social media by extremist right-wing organizations that some of the participants probably have never even heard of. It’s a melee that appeals to the same people who have been abusing retailers, threatening health-care workers and stalking elected officials in their own communities for two years now because somewhere along the line, they have come to believe that the law does not apply to them.

They have already exercised their freedom to not be vaccinated, but now, they now think they should be able to control the way the rest of the world reacts to that choice. Even if Canadian restrictions were removed tomorrow, Canadian truckers could still not enter the US without being vaccinated!

The ‘protest’ part was over by the second day. It’s now an occupation. The citizens of Ottawa are totally blameless, yet this ‘freedom-loving’ mob sees nothing wrong with holding city residents hostage and impinging on their rights to a far greater extent than has ever been imposed through public health regulations. And ironically, in terms of the supply chain, ongoing occupations at Canada/US border have been much more harmful to everyone than a small number of unvaccinated truckers ever would have been.

An obscene amount of money is being thrown at this. When GoFundMe wisely disassociated itself from this fiasco, organizers were quick to hook up with GiveSendGo, purportedly a ‘Christian’ site. Since the site has also raised funds for Kyle Rittenhouse and US Capitol rioters, the ‘Convoy’ certainly appears to meet the criteria. But, do individual truckers really think they are going to benefit from the money that’s presently being amassed? My guess is that a good portion of it will be tied up in litigation for years, because organizers will certainly be sued. Canadian authorities will also be following the money to determine what percentage of it might be ‘threat financing’ from outside Canada. And because organizers are, by and large, part of other organizations with their own agendas, I think there will be a feeding frenzy where the money is concerned, starting with the lawyers.

To see who is really behind the occupation, please see:

https://www.antihate.ca/the_freedom_convoy_is_nothing_but_a_vehicle_for_the_far_right

https://pressprogress.ca/meet-the-extremists-and-social-media-influencers-at-the-centre-of-the-far-right-siege-of-ottawa/

With freedom comes social responsibility, not irresponsibility. It’s not about ego, self-interest and bullying people. The really sad part is that the whole thing is such a colossal waste! A waste of time, resources and money, all of which could be used for so many other worthwhile efforts.

For another excellent perspective, please see:

https://projectprotech.ca/community-news/whose-freedom-is-the-freedom-convoy-fighting-for-not-everyones/

Worst Premier Ever Alberta 2021

The United Conservative Party in Alberta has been selling hats as a fundraiser that read:  Best Summer Ever, Alberta 2021".

Given what a disaster the summer has actually been, with out-of-control COVID cases, plans to stop testing and mandatory isolation and almost no input or guidance from government officials, I thought this image was much more appropriate. 

December 2022 update: On October 11, 2022, we became saddled with Danielle Smith as interim premier. When I originally posted this in July, 2021, it didn't seem possible that we could have ever have a worse premier than Jason Kenney. Unfortunately, I was wrong!

May 2023 update: For more in-depth information about the Kenney government, please see:

 https://thetyee.ca/News/2023/05/17/Bully-Haunting-Alberta-Election/

 

Won't Ship to a Box Number

 Although hundreds of thousands of rural Canadians have a box number address, those of us living in the country are continually refused proper service by companies and individuals who, for their own arbitrary reasons, have decided they won’t ship to a box number. 

One go-round has been with Staples, who advertise free shipping on their website. However, when you actually try to place an order, you discover that ‘Shipping addresses must have a Canada Post verified street address’.  If you contact Customer Service, you quickly find it is next to impossible to get the agents to grasp that most farms and acreages out in the country don’t have street addresses.

Some of the excuses I routinely get for not mailing to a box number are:

·         The on-line shipping form is not set up for box numbers

·         Item requires a signature

·         Item is too large to fit in a post box

·         Item isn’t being shipped by Canada Post

·         Street address is required for door-step delivery

·         Box numbers are not secure

·         Box numbers are suspicious. People have them for nefarious purposes

In most cases, Customer Service agents (email or telephone) are responding from a prepared script and clearly have no understanding about rural mail delivery. Therefore, in September 2020, I decided to address my concerns with Staples in a written letter to their head office in Ontario. To date, (now July 2021), despite two letters to Customer Service and three more to CEO David Boone, I still have had no reply whatsoever.

In fact, rural mail delivery is much more secure than parcels left on a porch in the city. If a Canada Post parcel does not fit into a rural mail compartment or requires a signature, you get a delivery notice and go to the local post office/agent with identification to collect it. If the item has not been shipped Canada Post, it will go to the appropriate courier depot in the community for pick-up. These include Fed Ex, Purolator, UPS and DHL. You are notified either by the local depot phoning you directly or by an email from the shipper tracking the item. No, the item will not be delivered directly to your door out in the country, but that doesn't mean you can't receive it.

Refusing to provide service to a specific group (rural Canadians in this case) is, by definition, discrimination. I feel any company doing business in Canada should legally be required to deliver to all Canadians at their legitimate address.

That Staples' head office has not responded to five letters speaks volumes as to how the company values our business. They seem to have overlooked the fact that it is many of the people with those pesky box numbers who are actually putting food on their tables!

Inevitably, customer service agents will tell you to "just use a different address". However, as a rural Canadian, my box number is my only mailing address. It is also the address that is on my driver's license, income tax, bank statements etc. I don't have another address and I shouldn't need one!