Gerard Kennedy

LISA RAINFORD, Oct 23, 2009

Post office to remain in Junction

Canada Post has reversed its decision to close the Junction Gardens Postal Outlet at the end of the month.

Instead, it signed a five-year contract with franchisee Mangi Ju, owner of Grand Bargain, the variety store in which the post office is located at 2938 Dundas St. West.

“Through discussions with the franchise owner we came to an agreement on how we can upgrade the post office that is agreeable to both parties. We are pleased that the Junction postal outlet will remain open to serve our customers in the area,” said Canada Post spokesperson Jennifer Arnott on Friday, Oct. 23.

“It happened so fast,” said Ju. “They came in last night before closing. It’s wonderful.”

He said he’ll be celebrating outside his store this weekend with cookies and fruit and invited community members to stop by. Ju credited Parkdale-High Park MP Gerard Kennedy for “fixing everything.”

Kennedy was in contact with Canada Post representatives throughout the day Thursday. By late afternoon, he called the situation quite promising.

“We’ve seen some responsiveness,” he said. “Canada Post is reconsidering now.”

Junction Business Improvement Area (BIA) Executive Director Anna-Louise Richardson said she received a call from Kennedy around 8:30 p.m. Thursday to say that a new five-year contract had been signed.

“It’s the little Junction that could,” said Richardson.

When residents and business owners discovered that their beloved postal outlet was slated for closure Oct. 31, they were outraged. More than 4,000 people signed a petition. ‘Save the Local Post Office From Closing’ signs began popping up on storefronts throughout the retail strip. Canada Post initially informed Ju that his store was too small to accommodate its new look as it implements a Canada-wide re-marketing of its outlet network. Folks would have to go to the Shoppers Drugmart at Keele and St. Clair for all their postal needs.

With Canada Post’s decision to keep the Junction Gardens Postal Outlet open, residents and business owners will not be inconvenienced. More than a century of postal service in the Junction will continue.

Timmins-James Bay federal Liberal candidate Marilyn Wood and Parkdale-High Park Liberal MP Gerard Kennedy — his party’s critic for infrastructure, cities and communities — wanted to assure them, however, that their views still count.

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