Story Archive

You’ve Got Mail (Now Extra Secure)

A community mailbox in Ottawa, Ont., had problems with freezing during the winter months, so Canada Post announced it would be changing the locks. About a month later, David Barker went out to check his mail — and couldn’t get his mailbox open. He even tried de-icing the lock and it wouldn’t open. When the mail carrier arrived, “he opened up the mailbox,” Barker said. “And lo and behold there were all the keys for every neighbor in the neighborhood. Their keys were in the mailbox.” Apparently all the keys had been delivered on the same day the locks were changed. Jo-Anne Sparkes said she had discovered that evening her key no longer worked and was still waiting to get into her box. “I don’t think they synchronized timing properly and this is a bad time of the year.” As of that evening, Canada Post had not responded to a request for comment. (MS/CBC) ...Their answer is in the mail.