Door-to-door postal service has been temporarily suspended on two streets in Sudbury while Canada Post investigates safety concerns raised by employees.

Canada Post spokesperson Anick Losier said the corporation is obligated by the Labour Code to launch a full investigation anytime employees say they feel unsafe.

Canada Post is investigating safety complaints from employees about the mail route that includes Southview Drive. (Amy Dodge/CBC)

"That's their right to say, 'I feel unsafe',” Losier said. “They don't even have to give a reason at that point."

Losier said the areas under assessment include parts of Elm Street and Southview Drive. In the meantime, customers in these areas must pick up their mail at the downtown post office.

"It is an inconvenience and we do apologize for that. It is temporary,” she said.

“Right now we are really working as fast as we can to do these assessments, determine what the options are before us and then go back to these customers to determine what we are going to do.”

'A lot of unknowns'

Losier said there are 78 addresses affected along the route that traverses Elm Street between Ethelbert Street and Eyre Street, and Southview Drive between Kelly Lake Road and Stephen Street.

Ward 1 Coun. Joe Cimino said he supports the investigation and wants workers to be safe, but he's upset residents and the city weren't notified before the mail service was cut off.

"There's just a lot of unknowns that I think spurred the rumour mill,” he said, adding that he’s looking for more information to determine what exactly the problem is.

“Is it a city problem,” he asked. “Is there at least something that we can do? Why not come to [the city] and let us know so we can make [the mail carriers’] lives safer."

Canada Post said it hopes to have the investigation completed by the end of this week or early next week.