Now over two weeks, residents of Rosedale and the surrounding area who have post office boxes in the community have been coming to Drumheller to pick up their mail.
On September 10 the Rosedale Post Office was temporarily closed. Customers were directed to pick up their mail at the Drumheller outlet for the foreseeable future.
According to a letter posted at the Rosedale location, Canada Post is “working diligently to find a permanent solution for mail delivery and retail services.”
Rosedale area resident Keith Hodgson says it has become an inconvenience for residents as well as rural customers in the area. He says restrictions at the Drumheller Post Office due to COVID -19, only allowing a limited number in the office has compounded the inconvenience. Rosedale box holders have to pick their mail from the customer service desk.
“It doesn’t help when you can only have two people in the lobby area at a time,” he said.
He says they have not heard of any update from Canada Post. The Drumheller Mail reached out to Canada Post and in an email, it stated they have no further updates. There are just over 180 mailboxes in the Rosedale Post Office.
Customers who are not able to pick up their own mail can have someone pick it up on their behalf with a letter of authorization and government-issued photo identification. More information is available at www.canadapost.ca

Drumheller Town Council has agreed to continue its program to charge for parking at the Hoodoo site.
The town implemented a pilot project to charge for parking at the Hoodoo site. In the initial pilot in 2019 parking was charged at $2 per car. In 2020 they added a charge of $10 for buses. In the first year, the program raised $27,559.
This year with declining tourism numbers during the COVID-19, the program was not as successful. With about 4,000 less cars, the program raised about $19,000.
The program utilized four employees to work rotating shifts, including a permanent town employee as a supervisor. The Canada Summer Jobs 2020 placement program subsidized three employees between July 13 and August 28. This helped make up for the loss in revenue.
Some of the recommendations discussed include that the program requires at least two staff members to safely operate and handle cash. It is also an opportunity to increase customer service and to supply parking attendants with tourist information, maps, and flyers. They could cross-train with Travel Drumheller or the Chamber of Commerce staff to familiarize employees with the valley’s offerings.
For security, they recommended a portable power supply to install security cameras in the portable shelter.
Council agreed to continue the program for the coming summer with a charge of $2 per personal car and $10 per bus.