Bills are still due during Canada Post strike, City of Ottawa says

The City of Ottawa is reminding residents that utility bills will still have to be paid despite the ongoing Canada Post strike halting mail delivery services across the country.

About 55,000 Canada Post workers went on strike Friday after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with their employer. The city says the strike could impact the delivery of paper billing, invoices and other notifications – including water utility bills, property tax bills, invoices and traffic fines.

"Water utility bills and property tax bills will continue to be issued and the payment due date will remain unchanged," the city said in a news release.

"For those who receive their bills by mail, it is recommended to sign up for paperless billing."

Canada Post said it would continue operating and maintaining service if there are rotating strikes as negotiations continue. However, mail won't be delivered and service guarantees are affected for items already in the postal network.

All mail and parcels will be "secured and delivered" as fast as possible on a first-in, first-out basis once operations resume, according to Canada Post.

Mail and parcels won’t be processed or delivered and no new items will be accepted until the strike is over, according to Canada Post. It said services to remote and northern regions that heavily rely on Canada Post are shut down.

Some post offices are closed. Visit the Canada Post website or call ahead to find out which ones are open.

The City of Ottawa has a contingency plan in place for residents who require paying bills, fines or invoices:

General Accounts Receivable Invoices

Accounts receivable invoices will be emailed where possible, the city says.

Anyone expecting an invoice from city services is asked to contact Accounts Receivable.

Social Assistance Overpayments

Social Assistance Overpayments can be paid online, through your financial institution, by visiting a Canada Post location or at 100 Constellation Drive.

Parking tickets and provincial offence fines

Speeding tickets, by-law infractions or other offences can be paid online or in person or by drop box at a Provincial Offences Court office.

Parking tickets, along with by-law and traffic-camera infractions, can also be paid in-person at any Client Service Centre and drop boxes, by phone at 613-738-7719, or online through Ottawa.ca/poa.  

Collections

Defaulted Provincial Offences Collection Notices will be emailed where possible.

All newly defaulted fines will receive a phone call where possible and regular collection activities will continue.

Residents can pay online on ottawa.ca, in-person at a Provincial Offences Court office, over the phone at 613-580-2424 extension 21900 or through pre-authorized debit.

OC Transpo

Mail delivery of Presto Cards will not be available during the postal service disruption. Presto cards can be purchased at ticket machines, the Rideau Centre Customer Service Centre and participating Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws and Real Canadian Superstore locations.

The Rideau Customer Service Centre will be able to provide the following services during their business hours:

• Customer pickup for Gold and Regular Park & Ride Passes
• Pick up of EquiPass approval letter and passes (Must be coordinated with Customer Service staff in advance)
• Taxi coupons – which must be purchased in advance by phone.

Anyone who requires more information is asked to contact OC Transpo Customer Service at 613-560-5000 (TTY: 613-741-5280).

Employment and Social Services

Employment and Social Services’ clients can access the most up to date information on ottawa.ca.

Development applications

Public notices announcing new development applications will be published every Saturday in The Ottawa Citizen and Le Droit beginning Saturday, Nov. 23. This will continue for the duration of the work stoppage. You can always review development applications on ottawa.ca.

Development applications will also be announced weekly through a dedicated PSA.

Check ottawa.ca for any further contingencies for the postal service disruptions.

Paperless billing

To enroll in paperless billing, create or log in to your MyServiceOttawa account, navigate to view your Water Utility Bill or Property Tax account and select paperless as your preferred billing method.

If this is your first time using this service, you will need a copy of your last bill to complete the registration process.

Once registered, you will get an email notification when a bill is ready for viewing, along with the amount, due date and a link to My ServiceOttawa.

With files from CTV National News