The small town of Braeside in the Ottawa Valley has lost its post office, a family-run hub that began serving the community in the early 1960s.
Thursday was the end of an era for residents such as Florence Sparling, who joined others to pick up the mail one last time.
"It's kind of like home to me, and I haven't got too far to come," said Sparling, who has been getting her mail from the humble downtown outlet for five decades. "It's just around the corner."
The post office's demise comes after the passing of longtime postmaster Harold Leitch, who died in January. The doors shut at noon, after the Canada Post lease expired, said Mary Campbell, the mayor of McNab/Braeside.
"I understand that in negotiations with Canada Post, the property is no longer available, and Canada Post has had to move quite rapidly in finding an alternative location," Campbell said.
While people in town can still retrieve mail from lockboxes for the time being, those in more rural areas will have to trek to Arnprior. Larger parcels will also have to be picked up from Arnprior, which has left some local businesses sour.
Mike Batiston, who owns a roof truss business, still uses the mail a lot to get blueprints and send them out. "Like a lot of residents, I think we're a little bit angry that the post office is closing," he said.
Delburn Cluff, a longtime resident, was saddened to see the old mailboxes being taken out on Thursday.
"It's been here since way back in the '60s, so it's been quite a landmark and it's sad to see it shut down," Cluff said.
Campbell said the township will try to find a new location for a post office and is advertising for a new postmaster.
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