In the February 15th edition of the Vancouver Province, Canada Post spokesperson Bob Taylor was quoted as stating that Letter Carriers are issued aerosol dog repellent for use as a “defense”. That statement was not made in the context of a discussion regarding dog attacks, but was instead included in an article that focused on the increasing rate of mail theft.  According to Mr. Taylor, Letter Carriers may use aerosol dog repellent to defend against attackers (see “criminals”). 

Contrary to Mr. Taylor’s claims, the Vancouver Police department has a very different position on the use of pepper spray. According to a police spokesperson, pepper spray is a prohibited weapon and may only be used by Letter Carriers as a “defense” against dog attacks. In fact, the pepper spray canisters (“MSI Mace”) that are issued by Canada Post contain a registered five-digit number, and are explicitly labeled to indicate that the product is for use against aggressive dogs only. Evidently Mr. Taylor has spent some time watching Charles Bronson movies. However, as a Canada Post spokesperson, he has left many questions unanswered. Is Canada Post endorsing the use of a prohibited weapon? Are Canada Post employees being advised to put their safety into jeopardy by fighting crime? What liability will the Corporation assume if a Canada Post employee is sued for the illegal use of his/her dog repellent? While Mr. Taylor has some explaining to do, pepper spray is clearly not the answer to mail theft.

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