What you need to know about your mail and the Canada Post strike
Delays are expected to last into January, even with employees going back to work Tuesday
After 30 days on strike, tens of thousands of Canada Post employees across the country have been ordered back to work on Tuesday.
The Crown corporation hasn't delivered mail since postal workers walked off the job over wages, working conditions and other issues on Nov. 15. The shutdown has affected millions of Canadians and businesses nationwide during the busy holiday season — and they're not out of the woods yet.
Here's what you need to know.
What does this mean for deliveries?
Canada Post wasn't processing or delivering any mail and parcels as long as the strike was active. Some post offices have also been closed and items that were already in the mail were trapped in storage.
The corporation said Monday it will "take some time" to clear the backlog, which runs "a couple million" packages and letters deep. A statement said delays are expected to last into January.
Can I drop letters or parcels in the mail in the meantime?
Canada Post didn't accept new items during the disruption. Employees who return to work on Tuesday will be prioritizing backlogged packages, so the corporation won't be taking new items until Thursday.
Mail accepted on or after that day likely won't arrive at its destination in time for Christmas, a spokesperson said.
I'm waiting for a new passport. What now?
Service Canada said the labour disruption will have delayed passport delivery for people who did not pay for pickup service. The agency had held off on mailing out 85,000 passports as of Nov. 19.
"Applicants who applied by mail and require a passport urgently may contact the call centre or visit a passport office in-person. Depending on the situation, we may be able to transfer their application to a Service Canada location with pickup service," Service Canada said in a statement to CBC News.
Canada Post said it would be handling backlogged mail on a "first in, first out" basis — so the oldest mail should get prioritized.
What about mail from other major couriers?
Purolator is a subsidiary of Canada Post. The union for Purolator workers has said staff would not handle mail that originated with Canada Post in an act of solidarity.
In a statement last month, Purolator did not mention any solidarity work action on the part of its workers but said that it is "well prepared and ready to deliver continued success" for customers during the Canada Post strike, adding, "We expect that our network and service will not be impacted."
The company said there are more than 2,900 Purolator locations across the country and that nearly three-quarters of Canadians live within three kilometres of a drop-off location.
FedEx deliveries weren't affected by the strike. A company statement said there is a "contingency plan in place" to manage volume while Canada Post is out of commission.
Amazon said Canada Post only delivers "a small percentage" of its packages. An emailed statement to CBC News said the company "will communicate with customers regarding any orders that might be affected."
UPS Canada did not respond to a request for comment.
How much does this affect rural communities?
They have been hit particularly hard. Rural and remote communities across the country rely solely on Canada Post for deliveries because many private, for-profit courier companies don't spend the money to fully service those areas.
In some cases, couriers send mail part of the way, but it's Canada Post that carries the package for the last few kilometres.
Will I still get my assistance cheques from the government?
Canada Post and the union agreed to continue delivering government benefit cheques — including Old Age Security, the Canada Child Benefit and the Canada Pension Plan — during the labour disruption.
The corporation said all November cheques should have been delivered on Wednesday, Nov. 20. December cheques would arrive on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Service Canada has urged Canadians to set up online accounts and direct deposits so they can receive their benefits without delay. The government department has more information here on which services may or may not be affected by the strike.
What about bank statements?
Several Canadian banks have reminded customers to switch to online statements and e-banking to manage statements, bills and other banking communication.
CIBC said customers were still required to make regular payments and meet financial obligations on credit cards, loans and mortgages when the post is disrupted. Other banks, including Scotiabank and BMO, have issued similar statements.
How much will this hurt small businesses?
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said 80 per cent of the country's small businesses rely on Canada Post for shipping goods, invoicing and receiving payments.
President Dan Kelly said the strike was "really bad timing" and a terrible blow to small businesses, especially after the port strike in B.C. earlier this year.
"We're just getting the ports back in operation and now retailers may start to receive goods again that were frozen in the ports for a while, but now they're going to struggle to get them out to their end consumer because of the postal strike," he told The Canadian Press.
Kelly said the strike will also freeze business invoices already travelling through the mail system, sending people "scrambling to try to get money."
Bookbinder, the University of Waterloo professor, said retailers could consider alternatives like FedEx or UPS, but noted mailing parcels would likely cost 30 to 40 per cent more in shipping.
What does this mean for letters to Santa?
CBC News contacted Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers about Canada Post's holiday tradition. The corporation responded with an email saying the strike has "impacted Canadians, small businesses as well as our ability to get mail to and from Santa in the North Pole."
It did not provide further details on the letter program.
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With files from The Canadian Press
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