When the birth certificate, new drivers’ licence and credit card that Ahuntsic resident Claude Samson was waiting for never came in the mail, he knew something was up.

Neighbour Jean-Pierre Miette also smelled something fishy.

“I noticed in the past month that mail delivery was very, very irregular,” said resident Miette. “It started to be delivered at 7 p.m. at night, and then no mail for two days,” he continued, adding that co-workers said they received their R1 and T4 tax slips when he did not.

It turned out that Canada Post had also caught wind after some complaints. The Crown corporation fired an employee this month after a noticeable number of pieces of mail never reached its destinations.

Canada Post also sent a letter to 900 Ahuntsic homes informing residents of the issue.

“We regret to inform you that an incident with one of our delivery agents might have had an impact on your mail. This incident is currently under investigation and we will ensure that disciplinary actions be taken at the end of the analysis,” the letter to residents dated March 13 said.

Canada Post spokeswoman Anick Losier confirmed the employee in question was fired and that the company and Montreal police are investigating.

“Everything that was given to us has been delivered, and we are in the process of determining if anything is missing,” Losier said.

She said people who received the letter should check with their banking institutions to make sure their affairs are in order.

It appears mail theft by some Canada Post employees is not all that uncommon, with several incidents having been reported over the years. Check out the "Related Stories" section on the left of this page for more cases.