Council asks Canada Post to change mailing address for new subdivision

Vaughan Weekly
January 29, 2014              
By Angela Gismondi

Residents who recently bought homes in a new subdivision in Vaughan are not happy with their new address.

Although the homebuyers purchased houses from builders advertising them in Kleinburg, Canada Post has deemed part of the new residential development to be Woodbridge. Those who have bought in the Impressions, Kleinburg Hills and Kleinburg Crown Estates subdivisions will be getting a Woodbridge postal code (L4H) instead of the Kleinburg one they thought they were getting (L0J).

Councillor Marilyn Iafrate is working with homebuyers to resolve the issue. She argued the area falls in the boundaries of Kleinburg and she is not going to sit back and let Canada Post designate it as Woodbridge.

At the Jan. 14 committee meeting, Iafrate put forward a resolution asking that council direct City staff to notify Canada Post and local MP Julian Fantino that the mailing address for the new homes be changed to properly reflect Kleinburg as the community. She is asking that the change be made as soon as possible, as residents will be moving into their new homes in the next few months. The resolution was approved by council yesterday (Tuesday).

“Canada Post has decided to waltz in and strip this community of its identity for the sake of its own operation,” said Iafrate. “You can’t just do that to people, it’s not fair. They’ve done this all over the place, not only in Kleinburg.”

“What angers me is Canada Post gets away with this without doing its proper due diligence,” she added. “All they had to do was call the City of Vaughan and ask them about the community boundaries. We wouldn’t be in this situation if Canada Post had done their homework.”

Iafrate stressed that the resolution is about preserving the community identity of Kleinburg and recognizing the significant historical importance of the village. Furthermore, Iafrate pointed out that the City is made up of four villages - Woodbridge, Maple, Thornhill and Kleinburg. Referring to this area as Woodbridge is contrary to the defined boundaries of the community plan adopted by the City of Vaughan, she said.

Nashville is a hamlet of Kleinburg in Vaughan, Iafrate explained, on the western edge of Kleinburg. The new development, which falls within those boundaries, is bordered by Major Mackenzie Drive to the south, Nashville Road to the north, Huntington Road to the west and Highway 27 to the east.

“This area is known as Nashville and is identified by the City of Vaughan as part of the Village of Kleinburg and is currently serviced by the Kleinburg Post Office,” Iafrate stated in a letter to Canada Post. “Canada Post has recently designated a portion of this new development in Nashville as Woodbridge. I am deeply troubled by the use of the term ‘Woodbridge’ to describe this area as it will generate confusion for new residents as Canada Post will identify their homes as Woodbridge and the City of Vaughan recognizes that area as Kleinburg.”

Iafrate explained the new development is within the boundaries of the Kleinburg-Nashville Community Plan, which was adopted in 2004, and has been historically known as the community of Nashville. The community of Nashville was incorporated within the Kleinburg postal address due to the closing of the Nashville Post Office in 1969. Therefore, Iafrate said, for the last 45 years, residents of this area have identified themselves with Kleinburg.

“People who are currently living in that area have a Kleinburg address and a Kleinburg postal code,” said Iafrate. “Historically, the community is Nashville but as an entity and a name place itself has not existed for 45 years. Nashville just doesn’t exist.”

That means the new residents mail will be handled through the Woodbridge post office, not Kleinburg.

“This is all because they can’t handle the mail at the Kleinburg Post Office but that, to me, is not an excuse,” said Iafrate. “They’re already handling Kleinburg mail in Woodbridge anyway.”

Iafrate concluded Canada Post is an agency of the federal government and therefore there is only so much the City can do.

Fantino disagrees. It isn’t Canada Post that designates municipal boundaries, it’s the municipality’s responsibility, he explained. Fantino said Iafrate was informed by Canada Post that the City needs to submit a formal request to the Crown corporation and that is what they are in the process of doing now.

“The reality is she was given the proper advice with which to proceed,” said Fantino. “If she is committed to having the matter addressed, all she had to do was follow the proper process.”

Playing the blame game has not helped the situation, he noted.

“Canada Post is an arm’s length agency of the government,” said Fantino. “I don’t tell them what to do.”

Wayne Magro, a homebuyer in the new subdivision, is frustrated with the situation. He thought he was buying a home in Kleinburg and what he’s getting is a Woodbridge address. That has caused a lot of problems, he said.

“I’m obviously upset and frustrated,” said Magro. “It seems like the different levels of government are finger pointing and we (the residents) are caught in the middle of that.”

A new homeowner is supposed to be excited and preoccupied with things associated with new home ownership, he added.

“Instead we’re having an identity crisis in a sense,” said Magro. “The boundaries are clearly set as Kleinburg.”

Living in Kleinburg versus living in Woodbridge would have certain other implications, some financial. Magro said a Woodbridge address could cost him as much as $121 more for home and auto insurance.

Furthermore, he believes he paid a premium to live in the community of Kleinburg.

“I could have bought a similar house elsewhere,” said Magro. “Another concern is the resale value will be lower if it’s recognized as Woodbridge.”

Not to mention the confusion of explaining to family and friends that he bought a home in Kleinburg but has a Woodbridge address. He is also worried the address could cause confusion for those delivering things to his home.

If his mail is delivered to the Woodbridge Post Office, Magro will need to go to that office to pick it up. The post office is in the Highway 7 and Pine Valley area, quite a drive from his soon-to-be home and not easily accessible during rush hour, he added.

Magro is moving into his new home in April and hopes to have the issue resolved by then.

“I hope they will designate us as Kleinburg and assign us a Kleinburg postal code,” said Magro adding the issue should have been resolved a long time ago. “The postal code should match what the City refers to us as and that’s Kleinburg.”

Residents also created an online petition which will be submitted to Canada Post along with the resolution.