Watch this inspirational Canada Post employee sing in his delivery van
‘Everyone's depressed and hunkering down and everything, so I sang just for fun,’ says Justin Welsh
Justin Welsh is a classically trained singer who is a relief letter carrier for Canada Post on the side.
With all of his singing engagements cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he's now essentially working full-time delivering mail in Toronto.
"You notice right away the streets are dead," he told CBC Music by phone during his lunch hour. "There's nobody around, just the odd person walking their dog or maybe a couple of kids out."
On Friday, April 2, when he arrived a little early for his shift, he decided to brighten the mood by singing an inspirational song, which he introduced and posted on Facebook.
"Everyone's depressed and hunkering down and everything, so I sang just for fun," Welsh reflected.
"I was supposed to be doing a gig right now with Against the Grain Theatre, and obviously that got cancelled," he explained, adding, "They've been really great about it.
"And I was supposed to have another gig in June that got cancelled."
'Thank you, Mr. Postman'
At a time when so many performing artists are out of work, Welsh acknowledges he's fortunate to have his day job.
"I'm getting work all the time because how things are working these days," he said.
"I'm getting little notes when I'm doing my route. You know, 'Thank you, Mr. Postman.' People appreciate what we're doing. It's not as bad, of course, as the medical profession right now. But, you know, we still have to be out there, exposed and stuff. But, Canada Post has been good in terms of giving you as much material to keep yourself safe as much as possible," Welsh admits. "So, so far, so good."