Waterloo region small businesses brace for impact of Canada Post strike

As tens of thousands of Canada Post workers hit the picket line Friday morning, the Region of Waterloo and other local municipalities are warning people this will impact day-to-day operations.

The Region of Waterloo said all incoming and outgoing mail would be affected, including fines and speeding tickets. 

Payment due dates for property taxes and water bills, however, have not changed. Instead of mailing in payments, residents must use other options, such as making payments online or using telephone banking. People can also go to local municipal offices in person.

The region says for users of MobilityPlus, products will be delivered by courier. EasyGO fare cards won't be able to be ordered online and people must visit a GRT customer service location or a fare vending machine to get one.

Canada Post workers went on strike early Friday after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with their employer, exactly one year after talks began.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says approximately 55,000 workers in its urban, rural and suburban mail carrier (RSMC) bargaining units are striking, claiming little progress has been made in the bargaining process.

The union and the company have agreed that benefit cheques will still be mailed out during the strike, including for the Canada Child Benefit, Old Age Security and the Canada Pension Plan.

Impact on busy holiday season

The strike action comes ahead of Black Friday and the beginning of the holiday season, when Canadians rely on the postal service to send and receive gifts, packages and cards.

• What impact is the Canada Post strike having on you? What should be done about it? Leave your story, questions and opinions here and you might be featured on Cross Country Checkup's Nov. 17 show.

Local business owners say they're concerned about how the strike will impact them, including Jacqueline O'Neill, owner and creator of ButterPot Designs

"I don't think they understand how many individuals and small businesses that they're impacting with these decisions," O'Neill said.

Her Etsy shop relies heavily on small and large parcel delivery. She told CBC News there are major price differences in changing companies from, Canada Post to another courier company, so prices for customers may rise during a time when almost everyone is shopping online. 

"It's a lot harder to entice them with the rates that we're going to have to charge," O'Neill said. 

"I don't think they understand how many of these small businesses and individuals will not go back to using Canada Post if they use another party."

Guelph-based owner of The Scented Market, Kristy Miller, is worried about getting her candles out to customers in a timely manner. 

"We are looking at alternative options and implementing them immediately because we definitely can't have packages stuck in transit," Miller said. 

She said they ship out 100 packages a day through their online website. She's concerned about sales going down because customers won't be able to rely on timely delivery right before gift-giving season begins. The loss of revenue, she said, could be astronomical.

"It's definitely like a dark cloud looming overhead."

Once operations resume, Canada Post said, mail and parcels will be delivered on a first-come, first-serve basis, but "a national strike of any length will impact service to Canadians well after the strike activity ends."