'It's really a shame': Canada Post shuts down Winnipegosis branch

A Winnipegosis man living with cerebral palsy is angry with Canada Post for abruptly shutting down his local post office, taking away his independence in the process.

People living in the community of about 700 people located four hours northwest of Winnipeg learned about the closure through a local radio station Saturday morning.

Alex Lytwyn lives with cerebral palsy and uses mobility aids. He says Canada Post's actions are ableist, "My life is really hard, and this was the only independence I had, was going to the mail and doing it all myself," he said,  "and now with the post office gone, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. It's an awful feeling for a small town."

Starting Tuesday, Winnipegosis residents will have to drive 60 kilometres south to Dauphin to pick up their mail, something Lytwyn says he is not in a position to do.        

"I don’t have the money to pay for gas to go to Dauphin every day to do my mail," he said.

Lytwyn is an adult ambassador for Manitoba Possible, an organization working to eliminate barriers for Manitobans living with disabilities.Lytwyn will need to rely on others to get his mail for him during the closure, which means they will also need a signed letter authorizing the pickup. Canada Post requires photo ID for all in-person mail pickup.

Canada Post says the shutdown is because of staffing issues, and that they are working to have the Winnipegosis outlet open again soon.

"We remain committed to serving the people of Winnipegosis, and are working to resume regular hours as soon as possible," said Canada Post in a statement. "We apologize to our customers for this inconvenience and thank them for their understanding."

Lytwyn is an adult ambassador for Manitoba Possible, an organization working to eliminate barriers for Manitobans living with disabilities.

"It's really mind-boggling to me, that the government is always talking about including everybody, and making sure that everybody has access to everything, but yet they take away access to something that we all need, and it's really a shame."