MEMBERTOU – The growing Mi’kmaw community of Membertou will soon add new services with the opening of a Canada Post community hub in the coming months.
The hub, which is part of a pilot project by the national postal service provider, will be located in Membertou Place, the newly constructed 55,000-square-foot commercial building on San’Tele’Sew Awti, centrally located near the community’s two strip malls on Commercial Drive and the busy Membertou Sports and Wellness Centre.
“We are extremely excited to work with the Membertou community with the goal of enhancing postal services to this First Nation community,” said a spokesperson for Canada Post.
“Designed in consultation with the Indigenous community, residents will have access to some new financial and public services in addition to enhanced postal services.”
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The Canada Post hub will join another new-to-Membertou business, Grant Thornton LLP, at Membertou Place along with Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey and the Union of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq, who both had offices in the community but are moving into larger spaces to accommodate expanding services.
The first Canada Post community hub opened earlier this month in High Prairie in northern Alberta and offers an ATM, access to post office loans and parcel lockers for pick-up and drop-off available around the clock.
Membertou will be the second hub to open and will serve the community of just over 1,000 residents and the surrounding area.
It is part of Canada Post’s Indigenous and Northern reconciliation strategy, which aims to collaborate with Indigenous and Northern communities to provide improved services and support the wellness and health of communities by working with leaders and law enforcement to reduce the alcohol and illicit drugs that enter these communities. It is also improving its hiring and retention of Indigenous employees and developed a new procurement policy to strengthen relationships with Indigenous businesses.
According to a press release from Membertou, “Canada Post is working in collaboration with Membertou to create an inclusive, Mi’kmaq-inspired office and community space.”
“Canada Post will take the key learnings from our experience with Membertou First Nation and will continue to focus on new community services as part of our strategy to expand capacity, improve service, enhance retail services and help Canadians stay connected and businesses succeed,” a spokesperson for Canada Post said.
Two more community hubs are planned for opening in 2022. The locations of those have not yet been announced.
Ardelle Reynolds is an Indigenous affairs reporter with the Cape Breton Post.
