The Shepherds of Good Hope says donations are down this year because of the Canada Post labour dispute.
The organization says it is only at 1/3 of its anticipated annual amount, well below what it would see other years.
Neil Leslie is the vice-president of the Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation. He says people are not receiving their mailing, “because of Canada Post disruptions. Mail was delayed getting to our donors and some haven’t even received their direct mail Christmas package yet. “
He saysdonors are also nervous about sending their donation in by mail, and many donors don’t know an online option is available. If not enough donations are reached by the end of the year Leslie says, “We have to make choices down the road, especially at the end of the fiscal road if we don’t have the revenue to sustain all the services that we offer.”
Earlier this week, Canada Post provided an update though a statement. “Our holiday delivery plans now fully in place, we are starting to see our operations begin to catch up for the first time since November
Canada Post said its employees are being offered voluntary overtime. As well; the agency said it has hired nearly 4,000 additional seasonal employees and bolstered its delivery fleet with almost 2,000 additional vehicles.
Leslie doesn’t know if this will be enough, with Christmas only a few weeks away. “Things are improving but we know people are still not getting their mall.” He says. “We don’t know how widespread this is. We don’t know how many bags are hidden in the back corners of Canada Post.
