Region of Queens councillors have voted to move ahead with changes at the three-way stop at Main and Market streets in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

The Region of Queens is going ahead with changes to the three-way stop in downtown Liverpool to address safety concerns from pedestrians and motorists.

At their Oct. 14 meeting, councillors voted in favour of three recommendations from consultants CBCL, who did a traffic study of the Main and Market intersection in February.

Those are: removing the separate westbound or right-turning lane on Main Street in front of the post office and adding a curb extension to shorten the crosswalk distance; adding tactile walking surface indicators to warn visually impaired pedestrians they’re entering or leaving a crosswalk; and removing or changing some of the parking near the intersection.

Mayor Scott Christian said after the meeting that council wants Director of Infrastructure Adam Grant to come back with a plan. 

Christian said he’s eager to see what could happen with the parking spaces. The region’s traffic study found that some collisions and near-collisions were caused by people entering or leaving the angled spots outside the post office.

“I’ll be interested to see what staff come up with in consultation with some experts to figure out what some other options for reconfiguration could look like there.”

CBCL representatives told councillors in July that the intersection can handle current and future traffic volumes without installing traffic lights.

The busy intersection has caused safety concerns for years. Council has returned to the issue repeatedly in the past without settling on a solution.

CBCL had asked staff whether the region wanted the study done during warmer weather in the spring when traffic activity would be higher. The region’s response was that the consultants should use their best judgement.

Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton asked Grant whether the recommendation against traffic lights would have been different if the consultants had come later in the year. Grant said their conclusion about lights would have been the same.

“I think it was a valid point to be raised,” Christian said, “but I’m satisfied that our director of infrastructure felt that the methodology was appropriate.”

Christian said he’s not sure when council will see a plan for the changes at Main and Market streets. But it would have to be accounted for in next year’s budget before the work could begin. 

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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You don’t need your voter information card from Elections Canada to vote in the April 28 federal election. (Elections Canada)

If you haven’t received your voter information card yet for the April 28 federal election, Elections Canada says not to worry.

You can still vote without it. 

Elections Canada told QCCR there have been delays in getting the cards to some parts of the country.

The Liverpool post office hadn’t begun receiving the cards for its customers until the middle of this week. 

The cards contain information on where and when you can vote, details about your polling station and your name and address.

Elections Canada spokeswoman Francoise Enguehard says you don’t need the voter information card to cast your ballot.

“What is important for people to know is that you do not need a voter information card to vote,” she said in an interview. “And you don’t need it either to verify where you have to vote.

“The voter information card can serve as one ID to vote. But it doesn’t really change the way people have to prove their identity and they have to prove their address. So if people have a driver’s licence or they have a municipal or provincial ID, as civil servants would, then they can use that. And it you don’t have it, you need two things both with your name and one that proves your address.”

To prove your civic address, you can also use a property tax bill, a statement from your house or tenant insurance or a utility bill that contains your physical address.

You can also have somebody else vouch for your identity at your polling station.

“It’s the honors system. You say you are who you are and where you live. But the person must be registered at the same polling station and and the person can only vouch for one individual.”

Enguehard said she doesn’t know the reason for the delay in Liverpool. 

“We send 28 million cards to electors all across the country. Sometimes it can happen that there is a delay in getting a polling location. So until you have the polling location, you cannot print the voter information card. Sometimes out of the 28 million, a few of the cards, the information is incorrect and new voter information cards have to be issued. So all of that can cause delays.”

She said those who haven’t yet received a voter information card should be getting one in the next few days. 

Regardless, you can use the “My voter information” section on the Elections Canada homepage at elections.ca or call 1-800-463-6868 to make sure you’re registered to vote.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Brian Anthony, left, vice-president of Local 18 of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, stands with fellow union members on the picket line outside the Main Street post office in Liverpool on Monday. (Rick Conrad)

Canada Post workers were back on the picket line on Monday in Liverpool hopeful that a deal can be reached to get them back to work.

About 20 members of Local 18 of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers were outside the post office on Main Street as cars honked their support.

Brian Anthony is the vice-president of Local 18. He told QCCR that four days into the strike, morale is high.

“We’re here until we get an agreement. Resonse has been good. We’ve got a good turnout here and a good response from the cars driving by. We had a guy stop by and give us some donuts and coffee today. I think the public understands that we all just need a fair deal.”

More than 55,000 Canada Post employees went on strike across the country on Friday. The Bridgewater-based Local 18 covers Hubbards to Shelburne and has about 60 members.

Union members say they want fair wages to keep pace with inflation, safe working conditions, pension protections and better benefits. 

Canada Post’s latest offer included pay raises of 11.5 per cent over four years and a pledge to preserve the defined benefit pension plan for current employees.

A special federal mediator met with both sides on Monday. But Canada Post said they remain far apart on the major issues. 

On the Liverpool picket line on Monday morning, Anthony said workers are hoping for a short walkout, but they’re prepared to stick it out.

“We don’t want to lose what we already have. We’re hoping there’ll be a settlement sometime soon. I think we’re optimistic. Everyone is still in good spirits. We’re hoping for a short strike for sure.”

Mail service is suspended during the strike. But Canada Post and the union have assured people that government cheques will still be delivered.

Workers plan to be on the picket lines in Liverpool from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

2018 was the last time there was a work stoppage at Canada Post. The rotating strikes lasted 31 days before the federal government stepped in an legislated employees back to work.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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QCCR acknowledges the support of the Community Radio Fund of Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative.

Community mailboxes. Photo courtesy Canada Post

A notice indicating they had less than 24 hours to claim their mail came as a surprise to some residents of Brooklyn last week.

Canada Post left the notices in post boxes at the Brooklyn office Tuesday October 11 and before noon the next morning, the mailboxes were cleaned out.

In an e-mail, a spokesperson for Canada Post said, “that due to reasons beyond our control, we were notified that the Brooklyn Post Office would close at end of day Wednesday, October 12. Customers were notified of the closure on Tuesday, October 11 by letter and flyers posted on-site.”

Letter sent by Canada Post to Brooklyn residents. Photo courtesy Vicki Amirault

The post office was in the Wa-Su-Wek building on Hillside Road and operated by one of their staff members.

Board member Grace Conrad says they just couldn’t afford to operate the postal outlet any longer.

“One person is supposed to be doing that plus being able to look after some of the Wa-Su-Wek stuff,” said Conrad. “We don’t actually get enough money from [the] post office, or whatever, to pay a worker. We’re only getting a little bit of money.”

Conrad says the Wa-Su-Wek board members met Friday October 7^th and decided they couldn’t continue to operate the post office at a loss.

She contacted Canada Post that day to inform them of the board’s decision.

The board was prepared to continue running the postal service for 30 to 60 days to give Canada Post time to come up with an alternative method of delivery.

Conrad was surprised when a postal worker showed up at 10:00am on Wednesday and cleared out the mail.

Anyone with an outside post box is unaffected by the change while roughly 300 people who used the interior boxes, as well as those looking to buy stamps or collect larger parcels now need to travel to Liverpool for postal service.

District 4 Councillor Vicki Amirault has been working to get answers for her constituents since the notices went out.

She says it’s not just the 5 km drive to Liverpool that is a problem for Brooklyn residents.

“They are very upset. It’s the drive and as you know, our parking spaces are very limited in front of the Liverpool post office,” said Amirault. “So, if those parking spaces are full that means they either have to park in back of the Royal Bank or they have to park down in the parking lot and walk. It’s very inconvenient.”

Canada Post will be installing 19 community mailboxes on the Wa-Su-Wek property to service the 300 customers who have been displaced.

While that solves the problem of getting letters and smaller parcels to Brooklyn residents Amirault is concerned moving services to Liverpool could cause other issues.

“It’s creating confusion for Liverpool post office workers as well. They have taken on a lot of extra work. And the residents of Liverpool as well, there’s only so many workers so their mail is going to slow down, probably, as well,” said Amirault.

The Canada Post spokesperson says the community mailboxes have been ordered and will be installed as soon as possible.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
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Region of Queens free metered parking. Photo Ed Halverson

Free Christmas parking is causing problems for visitors to the Liverpool post office.

Each year the Region of Queens makes metered parking free to bring more shoppers downtown in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Mayor Darlene Norman says that effort is being abused by a few drivers who are overstaying in the few spots outside the post office.

Norman is asking drivers to go about their business then move along and let others use the spaces.

“Please keep in mind that we have many people, we have many elders that are going to the post office. It’s exceedingly busy. They’re picking up packages,” said Norman. “Even though it’s free parking, if you’re working at a business or if you’re staff in another store, please don’t park in those places.”

She says the same request goes for people spending more than a few minutes shopping.

Liverpool post office. Photo Ed Halverson

Norman says she has received several complaints from seniors having to park blocks away in a parking lot and make the trek up the hill to collect their mail.

The free parking outside the post office falls under a bylaw that permits free parking across the region for 28 days prior to December 25.

Norman says she has had requests to change the bylaw to exclude those spaces from the free parking.

The mayor acknowledges it would take about four weeks to change the by-law.

She says the parking spots could be maintained as paid parking next year but wonders how it would be enforced.

“How do you enforce 15 minutes unless there is enforcement standing right there looking at someone in the eyeball?” said Norman. “I think people just really need to be kind, considerate and respectful.”

Norman hopes by bringing the issue to people’s attention the public will use the free parking in the spirit in which it was intended.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
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