The Continuing Saga Of The Mail Having Not Cometh To Me Lately

Today’s post is the continuing saga of no mail delivery to my building and obviously, this has to stop. I have here the emails I had sent about this and the responses and after that, I will have my own thoughts. So, get ready for some damming words from me. Well, not really damning, but I just wanted to say that to get your attention. In all seriousness, this is a serious topic which needs to be dealt with immediately or else bad things can happen to people and as I’ve said in past post, Mail delivery is as essential as everything else in life which we need And it doesn’t matter whether it is digital or physical. This is a right and not a privilege.

From: , Gordie, To:‌Councillor Diane Saxe 2023 8 29. Subject: No mail delivery to 250 Davenport?

Good morning. Today I have a real serious complaint to make to you about the lack there of mail delivery to 250 Davenport since early this month (August 2023). I had heard (or rather overheard) that something had happened to our mailman and therefore, physical mail has stopped coming to our building for the time being. Apparently, an investigation is being conducted as to what happened to the mail delivery person and until then, nothing has come to my door, or anybody elses for that matter. As for getting our mail, we have to go to a post office, rather than finding someone else to bring mail to us.

This is dangerous as not everyone is as mobile as others and speaking for myself, I don’t wish to have someone babysitting me, when you going to get my mail. I say this because as someone who is blind, by default those who are adults in the room see me as a child who needs help at every turn. I don’t need help all of the time, but the mailman not having cometh to mine and all of 250 Davenport’s doors to deliver all manner of mail to us is simply dangerous. For one thing, what about bank statements for those who may wish to provide them when doing taxes? Phone bills for those who do not have them online, or by email? Also, those of us who receive ODSP statements at the end of the month are not getting it, do to this negligence.

What can you do about this problem in order to make it easier for those who are unable to go and get their mail and do not wish to have anyone ,but the mailman handling it? Besides, no matter what the mail must go through and to be delivered to the address specified and not somewhere else other than the address. Am I right? My solution is to find somebody on a temporary basis, to deliver the mail to the mail room and have somebody else in the building, deliver the mail to myself and the rest of us and shove it through our doors. They must be able to see, be physically fit and trust worthy. Apparently those who have made this decision (in their infinite wisdom) had not thought about this.

Something else to think about is that when you are taking on a job of delivery of any kind, it is risky and there have obviously been stories about delivery people being robbed, whether it is food or mail and building management is letting this get to them? Also, this is Toronto Housing and by default, every person in these buildings may be a bit off (so to speak) and there are probably bad apples in any building like that, because there may be people who are drug addicts, people with mental health issues, or people who are just plain bad. Thankfully, I am neither and all I want is to have my mail rightfully delivered to me and the rest of us.

Could you please talk to building management above those whom we may see while walking around? As I have said, this is dangerous and I want my mail brought to me, rather than having to get it and be do something or else this could result in an eviction or two. Many thanks in advance for your kind attention./



Cheers,
Next is a reply to my email and this is what today’s post hinges on.

From: , Holli Butrimas To:‌Gordie Subject: RE: No mail delivery to 250 Davenport? 2023-08-29

Hello Gord,
 
Thank you for your email and for informing us of your blog. Councillor Saxe has been following this case for the last few weeks and has been engaging with TCHC Staff to see it resolved. It is my understanding that as of Monday the 28th, Staff let us know that Canada Post has agreed to resume door-to-door mail delivery twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. TCHC has agreed to have security in the building when mail is being delivered and to put an elevator on service for the mail carrier while mail is delivered, per Canada Post’s request. In the longer term, TCHC will install front-loading super mailboxes in the building, so that tenants can securely retrieve their mail. Staff from Facilities Management team are overseeing the project and have apparently begun preliminary work.
 
Mail delivery was supposed to resume today. Please let us know if you do not receive any mail you’re expecting by this Friday (or today), and we can alert Staff.
 
Thank you,
 
Holli Butrimas | Constituency Assistant and Planner
Office of Councillor Dianne Saxe
Ward 11, University-Rosedale

My reply to this email is certainly reasonable and I did get back another reply to this.

Hi. Thank you very much for your reply and I do have at least one question about this project you speak of. How is someone like myself who is blind going to retrieve my mail from the super mailbox? To be honest with you, I never go down to the mailbox because I don’t know where it is and secondly, I could easily take someone elses mail by accident and I much prefer the old fashion door-to-door delivery. I hope that this will eventually expand from two days a week, to three or four because mail doesn’t come only on Tuesdays and Fridays. I should be getting my ODSP statement today and so far, I haven’t received it yet. I have direct deposit, but what if I didn’t? Also, I’m not the only blind person in our building and both of us receive mail the old fashion way, as apposed to just receiving it online. I get my phone and Internet bill by email, but what if I didn’t? My concern is for those who may not have direct deposit or receiving emails for various pieces of mail which we used to only get delivered to us. What can you tell me, to quash my concerns?

Holli had replied with the following:

Hi Gord,
 
Great question – after flagging this to TCHC staff, they have said Canada Post has agreed to accommodate Blind and low-vision residents by providing mail delivery to their doors when the mailboxes are installed. Staff have confirmed that mail today delivered door-to-door for self-identified Blind and low-vision tenants.
 
All the best,
 
Holli Butrimas | Constituency Assistant and Planner
Office of Councillor Dianne Saxe
Ward 11, University-Rosedale

Well, I haven’t received a thing in my door and I know what it sounds like, when mail comes to me. I also know what I am looking for, when it comes to my mail by feel. I have received envelopes which have specific designs and as for the color of the envelopes, that is irrelevant to me for obvious reasons. I look for specific designs and markers, like plastic windows and of a specific size too. I keep everything I receive, for that reason alone as I am looking for something specific to me, which I had been sent before, which could be a statement or something else. Even bending the envelope is not out of the question, to find out what else could be in it such as a card or something. I have much the same to say about notices in my Dore, which has been nil since August as much as I loathe them, they’re important for finding out what is going on in the building and hopefully at some point, we will all get email notices in the future Replacing paper notices. Yes, I am repetitive and the reason is because I want to impress upon anybody reading this that notices are just as important as general mail delivery. Notices by email are the best because they’re not from dead trees and the only thing you have to do, is have the addresses of Every single resident who has an email address. As for group emails, there are apps which allow for this and I use one from my own group and I have done so, since 2013. So, what’s the problem? Why are we not getting notices in our doors either Along with traditional mail delivery?

I refuse to go down and get my mail, because of any potential prying eyes that could be looking for apartment addresses of potential people, whom they could stock, or steal from in the future. I am protective of my privacy and that is why, I am so emphatic about continued door-to-door delivery of mail being a right and not a privilege. I’m blind, but that does not mean that I should be the only one getting mailed delivered to me. Others may have a schedule which may not sync up with when the mail comes in, because of various things in all our lives being priority and frankly, those who wheeled the power do not see it that way. They believe that if you want to get your mail, you have to sign for it where everyone can see you, by showing your government issued ID, in plain sight of anyone else in the lobby. That is wrong and this could open people up to the possibilities I had mentioned before and if that doesn’t make you think twice about it this, I don’t know what will.

As for those super mailboxes, are you kidding? Are they for superheroes or super humans? This is completely stupid and there was a male room, which is called that for a reason because it only accepts mail. The mail should not be in the lobby, because anybody can come in and take the mail. There may be people who are smart enough to pick a lock, thus getting around the security of an old-fashioned lock which can be accessed by a key. I don’t know for sure, but I’m not waiting to find out whether we have people who live here, who may have such skills and can use them for nefarious means. I don’t trust anyone except the male carrier to deliver my mail and it’s a simple as that. If that is too hard to understand, then you need to go back to school to be further educated. Nobody else other than the mailman, or woman should be allowed to deliver my mail to me. Have we got that?

Mail should also not be treated like food, in that we can come and get it from the lobby, like we are a bunch of starving hounds. We’re not animals and I for one, refused to take part in this ritual. I want my mail in my door, no questions asked and with no barriers to getting it. Have I made myself clear? I hope so, because as a world citizen, I have as much of a right to getting my mail as anybody else does and taking them away is wrong. Last time I checked, Canada is not a dictatorship (no matter what some people may think) and further to that, I will not sign for my mail, unless it is from the mail carrier personally and it is a special order. Mail delivery in general is not a special order and shouldn’t be seen as that. Are we clear on that? Well… … are we? All of us? If not, then you need counseling. If you’re in management and you believe that this fundamental right being taken away is good, then you need electric shock therapy and long-term electro shock therapy. Mail delivery has been around for more than 100 years and is a basic human right, for everyone to receive mail which is rightfully theirs and in case it’s like apartments, there are doors which have slots in them which are specially designed to accept envelopes including phone bills and other mail which rightfully is ours how this stoppage is a good thing (for any length of time) is beyond me. This Hass to stop and it Hass to stop now. What has to stop? The standstill of mail delivery door-to-door and the return of mail delivery door-to-door, must happen immediately. One should not be required to jump through hoops in order to receive mail, which is rightfully theirs so, no super mailboxes are necessary and all we need, is for the male carrier to come to my door, slide my mail through and be gone. How complicated is that? The answer, not complicated at all it is a simple fundamental right. Got it?

Here We Go Again In 2023

Hi folks. I am going to start this post off by stating the following, Toronto Comunity Housing needs to take a look at their management and in particular, who is in the office, speaking to tenants when they are in the office with them, or on the phone. Case in point, on March 13th, I went down to ask for rent receipts for the past year, in order for me to get my taxes done and whom ever was in the office had obliged. However, I also submitted my most recent income tax assessment at the time and that same person had screwed up, by not submitting it and saying that I had to submit the assessment for a year later, which hadn’t happened yet. To simplify things, I had submitted my 2021 assessment and they wanted the one for 2022, which I wouldn’t get done for another 10 days. I had been under the impression that it would be submitted anyway, but I come to find out otherwise.

I had received a phone call from our current Tenant Coordinator, letting me know that I hadn’t submitted the 2021 assessment, when I know that I had done so. I had done so, but whoever was handling it did not do the same and so, I got the call. I don’t blame her for calling me, as she had found something missing, but this wasn’t supposed to happen. Why did it? Because those who are working in the office and or working in the building, speak English as their second language, from our superintendent on down. Why is that, those who are tasked to handle confidential and possibly sensitive information, do not speak English as their mother tongue? Also, the recent requirement that an assessment is mandatory, in order for any and all of us to live in housing has caused confusion among people, on more than 1 occasion. I had documented the same thing happening last year, but this was mild compared to how this screw-up could potentially put me, or others out on the streets. In other words, evicted because people who have a job to do, clearly do not know what they are doing. Either everyone is fired by our new mayor, or those who have been shown to screw up, get terminated.

I’m sorry, but this has happened once too often and if I and others (who are low income earners) are to live in subsidized housing in Toronto, we should have people in management who can speak English without a foreign dialect getting in the way and also, they should know that it is currently 2023 and not 2024, or that last year was 2022 and not 2023. I won’t take them as being dumb, because they are not, but I do think that what has happened to me has gone on long enough. I am doing what I am supposed to do and others who have their hands on the controls are not holding up their end of the deal, by telling me something which was clearly wrong and they sounded credible. Naturally, I told them otherwise and they didn’t listen so, now we’re at a situation not of my own making, but of Toronto Comunity Housing’s Direct Management. This has got to stop, or I will vote for my mayor to clean house, of any and all of TCHC’s building’s management, if there have been any problems with being on the wrong side of a tenant’s complaint. I could make this a 311 issue, but why bother? I’d rather other people know about this in case this happens anywhere else in the world, to anyone who is disabled, in that they are blind and or, they may be of a certain age mentally, where they could be absent-minded and forget something important, like an income tax assessment. I am not at that age yet and I didn’t forget anything, when I was downstairs in the office on March 13th and clearly, this was someone else fault. Unfortunately, they won’t be fired as others will probably never have a problem with them like this. I don’t really either, except for that 1 little important thing about telling me something which was clearly wrong and me being right about it all along. I hope that this gets resolved soon, so I can nip this in the bud.