Closure of Ardoch Post Office impacts North Frontenac residents far and wide

Jeff Green | Jan 26, 2022

(Editors note – this article was edited after the version that was included in the January 27 print edition of the Frontenac News was printed)

The post office at Ardoch has been closed by Canada Post since January 17, and customers who have parcels to pick up have to drive to Sharbot Lake to get them.

It is about a 25-minute drive for Ardoch residents to Sharbot Lake. The post offices in nearby Ompah and Plevna closed several years ago, and people have been travelling to Ardoch from locations north and east of Ardoch, in some cases travelling for 30 minutes.

A 30-minute drive to pick up a parcel in Ardoch has become one-hour drive to Sharbot Lake for those residents.

The situation does not sit well with North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins, who happens to live very near to Ardoch.

“I filed an official complaint with Canada Post”, Higgins told the News, in a phone interview on Monday, January 24.

Higgins said that he has talked to MP Scott Reid about the situation, and “he was not very impressed with the closure of the post office, and his office is working on it.

The News contacted Canada Post late in the day on January 24 for clarification about the closure, and received the following response from Eunice Machuhi – media relations, by email on January 25th at 4:10pm.

“We can confirm that the Ardoch Post Office is temporarily closed due to staffing issues.

“Mail delivery has not been interrupted. Customers can access postal services and pick up carded items at the Sharbot Lake Post Office from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, and on Saturday from 9 am to 12 noon. Customers must provide a valid government-issued photo identification when collecting their mail.

“We thank the residents of Ardoch, Plevna and Ompah for their patience and understanding as we look to resume regular postal services. If customers have questions regarding their postal services, they can contact Canada Post's Customer Service team online at canadapost.ca/support or by telephone at 1-866-607-6301 (TTY: 1-800-267-2797).”

The News has confirmed that the closure of the post office is related to COVID-19 vaccine protocols at Canada Post.

The postmaster at Ardoch, Ken Stencell, who also leases the office space to Canada Post, is not vaccinated.

Since the vaccine protocol at Canada Post has been in place since November 26, 2021, he has been tested twice weekly with rapid tests provided by Canada Post. Stencell reportedly informed Canada Post that he was planning to apply for an exemption from vaccination, under status #3 in the Canada Post mandatory vaccine protocol.

Status #3 is for those who are “unable to be vaccinated for medical, religious or other grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.”

The reason in the Ardoch case is primarily on religious grounds.

Mr. Stencell did not send the “Religious Accommodation Questionnaire and Attestation” before the deadline in mid January. The form was sent in, one day late, and one day after that he received notice that the post office would be closing as of January 17.

The mail for Ardoch, Plevna, Ompah, Snow Road and Mississippi is sorted in Sharbot Lake, so it is not affected by the closure.

“I don’t question the right of Canada Post to decide how to handle this situation,” Mayor Higgins told the News, “But it is their responsibility to provide an alternative for their customers, for the residents of North Frontenac.

“I am not pleased about this.”