Mail misdirected

Photo: File photo

UPDATE: 2 p.m.

It would appear welfare cheques destined for residents of Heath House last week were indeed delivered.

To the wrong address.

An email from the Kelowna chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association who run the supportive housing facility, states the cheques were dropped off at a hotel, not at Heath House.

"(Our regular mailman) told us the delivery driver was a new driver and was bitten by a dog an hour prior to her dropping the cheques off and that was the reason for our mail issue," the association said in an email to Castanet.

While that explains the missing mail on cheque day, it does not explain the lack of delivery the rest of the week.

ORIGINAL: 5 a.m.

There is no explanation from Canada Post as to why mail destined for a supportive housing facility in Kelowna wasn't delivered for a week.

Residents at Heath House went all last week without receiving any mail – including their monthly welfare cheques.

When staff at Heath House intervened on their clients' behalf, Canada Post insisted it had been making mail drops to the main office door, but nobody was there to receive it.

However, Jessica Samuels, community and events manager with the Kelowna branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, which runs Heath House, says staff are always in the office.

She said on another occasion, staff saw the Canada Post truck drive past the property.

"When they called and made another complaint, it had showed mail had been delivered – which it clearly had not been," she said.

"At that point, the Canada Post manager looked into it, and it's my understanding he found out who it was, what the route was, and checked the truck. He came to Heath House and had a bit of mail he said had been found in the truck, but it was not any of the cheques."

And, there was no explanation as to why a delivery person went past the facility while seeming to indicate mail had been delivered, or an attempt made.

"You don't want to expect people are doing things purposely, or in a nefarious nature," said Samuels.

New cheques issued to the residents were delivered Thursday.

Officials with Canada Post were not available for comment.