A security breach that has caused the suspension of mail service at three downtown 海角社区官网buildings may have been perpetrated by someone with Canada Post master keys,聽which give access to secured buildings and mailboxes.
On Saturday, the Star reported that 135 George St. South, a condo in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, had been without mail service for two weeks, after security footage caught someone accessing the mail room at 5 a.m. on April 26 using a Canada Post lock, and then a minute later leaving with a bundle of mail.
Residents of 160 The Esplanade have also had their mail suspended since April 17, and a Canada Post letter about issues with lock security and the suspended service is posted in the mail area in the building鈥檚 lobby.
Residents of a condominium in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood have had postal delivery to their building suspended for weeks after security footage captured a man using a key to allegedly steal from the mailroom. Read more here: /news/gta/mail-delivery-suspended-at-toronto-condo-after-alleged-thief-caught-on-video-opening-canada-post/article_3532efb7-b264-4102-a4b7-5123e15fc3b3.html
Over in the Distillery District, residents of a condo at 70 Mill St. have had their mail disrupted since April 7 and the incident was caught by security footage.
鈥淭he individual involved was in possession of a Canada Post crown/master key, which grants access to mailboxes across multiple condominium properties. Canada Post has confirmed that this is a serious and rare situation. As a result, they have initiated lock replacements not only at our building but across other condominiums as a precautionary measure,鈥 said a letter dated April 8, to residents from the building manager at Icon Property Management.
Similar to the George Street theft, the mail bandit struck in the early morning at 70 Mill St. According to an email from the property manager, video footage of the incident revealed that an individual entered the building around 5 a.m., on April 7, using the master key to gain access to mailboxes and parcel lockers. Security footage also appears to have caught an accomplice waiting outside the building during the incident. Both Canada Post and police were notified of the incident.
海角社区官网police have confirmed there have been reports of mail theft at George Street South and Mill Street and are investigating but will not confirm if other buildings have been burgled.
Canada Post workers use keys that give them access to buildings and mailrooms. In all three of these buildings, the key also opens the doors to the banks of mail boxes where the postal workers deposit mail.
David Crawford is the president of the condo board at 135 George St. South and said he鈥檚 spoken to three Canada Post employees who say that it鈥檚 a large problem downtown, affecting several buildings.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a secret, they all seem to know about it,鈥 he said.
As a result of the suspended service, residents must go to the Canada Post office at 600 Commissioners St. to pick up their mail, which is several kilometres away, near Tommy Thompson Park.
鈥淚t’s been over a month now of needing to trek out to 600 Commissioners to pick up our mail. And the building manager just keeps on letting us know that there’s delay after delay (on changing the locks). Like at聽one point, I think they said Canada Post needed some specialized equipment that they couldn’t get shipped in, so it is getting frustrating,鈥 said Timothy Dillon-Cheetham, 36, who has lived at 70 Mill St. for four years.
According to the property management company, Canada Post changed the locks on the mailboxes at 70 Mill Street on Monday.聽
When asked about the George Street incident, Canada Post referred to 鈥渞ecent vandalism,鈥 although there was no visible damage on the lock or mailboxes. They did not confirm the loss of a master key and said they would not speak about if other buildings were involved due to security reasons.
“As there is an active investigation with local law enforcement, we are unable to comment further or provide more details. We don’t divulge specific security measures or broader information related to our equipment publicly as doing so would hamper their effectiveness,” a statement sent Monday said.
In 2020, CBC reported that thieves were using a master key to burgle mail rooms in several residential buildings in Ottawa. The thieves were only discovered through security footage that showed one incident, and after review of surveillance feeds from nearby buildings found they had been committing robberies for months.
If someone isn鈥檛 expecting something specific in the mail, they might not have any idea it鈥檚 been stolen.
As well, correspondence can be used for identity theft, which has become an large issue. Victims of fraud and cybercrime in Canada lost more than $638 million in 2024, with the highest number of victims in 2024 from identity fraud with 9,487 reported cases.
鈥(Identity theft) is a concern, but it鈥檚 almost impossible to keep under control these days,鈥 said Dillon-Cheetham, who has previously had his identity breached.
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