Pierrefonds resident Peter Perron is not a large man. But when his new Canada Post community mailbox arrived last month, he discovered his arm was too big to fit in his box.
“As soon as I opened up the door I couldn't get my arm in,” he said.
Perron is 5'9" tall and weighs 180 pounds. His forearm is 17 inches long and five inches wide while the mailboxes are 18 inches long and three inches wide, so he can't reach the back. He says the boxes look like they’re better suited to be mail deposit slots.
His neigbour Nondas Roussakis says he has the same problem.
“I'm not a big guy but it's just the hands are kind of tight and the wrists can't go in,” he said.
Perron's says he's seen people use barbecue tongs to get their mail. He put a cardboard barrier to block his mail from going too far, but it restricts the amount of mail that fits inside.
He informed Canada Post of his problem and they sent him a form saying they might be able to adapt his mailbox with a sliding tray, but would have to investigate first.
“Whoever is investigating, if he thinks it's required [I would] have to go see a doctor, have a form fill in stating the dimensions of my arm and they can still refuse,” he said.
Canada Post spokesperson Anick Losier says Perron’s situation is fairly isolated. People with similar problems will be accommodated with a tray.
The new, slimmer mailboxes are based on a U.S. model because it handles new types of mail.
Perron said he was told it could take up to three months before action is taken.
"I feel sorry for people who are disabled and can't get to the box for those three months if nothing's decided upon. How are they going to get their mail? That's not fair," he said.
Perron and his neighbours want to know if Canada Post also considered the people who have to retrieve that mail and the climate they live in.
“If it's minus 30 and I have gloves or a parka on, I will have to use these tongs,” he said, gesturing to his barbecue tongs.
