When her friend failed to call to confirm the lunch date she had set, Muriel Jean Veinot was confused.

So, on the first day of August, Veinot rang Dorothy Mearns.

B次元官网网址淒id you get the invitation?B次元官网网址� Veinot asked.

B次元官网网址淲hat invitation?B次元官网网址�

Veinot was shocked: nearly two weeks earlier B次元官网网址� July 20 B次元官网网址� she had popped the lunch invitation into the mail. In fact, she had handed it to a Canada Post worker at a downtown branch, who hand-stamped the letter before VeinotB次元官网网址檚 eyes.

Turns out, the letter didnB次元官网网址檛 find its way to MearnsB次元官网网址� mailbox in Esquimalt until Aug. 5 B次元官网网址� 12 business days after it was mailed.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just total idiocy,B次元官网网址� Veinot, 86, said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e supposed to be offering a service, and I mail a lot of letters.B次元官网网址�

Veinot isnB次元官网网址檛 the only one aghast at Canada PostB次元官网网址檚 delivery times lately. Victoria MP Denise Savoie tracked how long it took for her contacts to receive mail lately.

B次元官网网址淚 have done a little test myself and I have seen the same results as (Veinot),B次元官网网址� she told the B次元官网网址.

By now, any backlog of mail accumulated during the postal strike and lockout of mid-June has been cleared, confirmed Canada PostB次元官网网址檚 director of communications, Colleen Frick.

The postal serviceB次元官网网址檚 delivery standard within Victoria is two days.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very unfortunate,B次元官网网址� Frick said of VeinotB次元官网网址檚 experience. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not something we would say is at all within our service commitment to our customers.B次元官网网址�

She added: B次元官网网址淥ne has to be careful about making general assumptions about a couple of mail items that unfortunately did take longer to arrive than our delivery standard. I say this because we deliver about 200,000 pieces of mail every day in Greater Victoria and we meet our delivery standards on that mail 96 per cent of the time.B次元官网网址�

From conversations with Victoria-area postal workers, Savoie has heard that short-staffing is a major problem. Canada Post denies that, but the MP believes thereB次元官网网址檚 a bigger factor at play.

B次元官网网址淚t looks like (the federal government) wants the public to lose confidence in the system, so they can drive them to private courier carriers,B次元官网网址� she said.

Whatever the case, Veinot isnB次元官网网址檛 impressed. The 12-day letter was sent the same day as another, destined for a friend living on Gorge Road. That letter arrived in nine days.

B次元官网网址淚 could walk to Gorge Road or I could walk to Esquimalt faster than that,B次元官网网址� she said.