Ottawa businesses brace for possible Canada Post strike before the holiday season
A potential strike by Canada Post could disrupt services for Canadians and businesses nationwide, and locally in Ottawa.
For many, checking the mail is a daily routine; and in the age of e-commerce, many businesses rely on services by Canada Post.
The rural, suburban and urban bargaining units of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) issued strike notices to Canada Post on Tuesday.
The Crown corporation issued a lockout notice on Tuesday, after mail carriers handed their employer a 72-hour strike notice.
If negotiated settlements are not reached by the deadline, workers will be in legal strike position Friday morning, according to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
Daily mail
It’s a habit for many – walking or driving to their local mail box.
"I check it every day. Just you never know," says Ottawa resident Attilio Nicastro.
"It will affect me. We'll be getting bills. So, the bills will be paid late. If they go on a lengthy strike with interest going and we're going to be charged the interest.”
Businesses
At Toys on Fire in Barrhaven, you don’t have to look further than the front of the store on Tuesday morning to see how a potential strike could affect shipping. After the postal service was paused for Remembrance Day, dozens of packages were ready to be picked up by Canada Post.
The business has a brick-and-mortar storefront, as well as an e-commerce business that ships throughout Canada.
“Right now, probably about 70 per cent of everything is going with Canada Post,” says store manager Grayson Doherty.
Doherty adds that the business has a backup plan with a variety of couriers, but some addresses are only services by Canada Post, such as remote communities or PO boxes.
"Fifteen to 20 per cent of that has to go with Canada Post because there's no other option.”
Lee Valley Tools is getting ready to ship catalogues, just ahead of the busy shopping season.
"What's particularly at risk for us is two things,” says President Jason Tasse.
“One, consumer confidence. Even though we have multiple parcel carriers, and we can still get the parcels to your household, you know, the average household just assumes, 'Oh, Canada Post potentially there's a work stoppage or interruption.' They lose confidence in the mail system for parcels, and then for the hundreds of thousands of catalogyes that were about to mail out there now in jeopardy because they're addressed and they go through the postal system, right, you know, to the households."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
War monitor says Assad has fled Syria after rebels enter capital
The head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said early Sunday that Syria’s President Bashar Assad left the country for an undisclosed location.
Canada Post strike: Union 'extremely disappointed' in latest offer, negotiator says
A negotiator for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says the latest offer from Canada Post to end the ongoing strike shows the carrier is moving in the "opposite direction."
Search for UnitedHealthcare CEO's killer yields evidence, but few answers
As the search for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer goes on, investigators are reckoning with a tantalizing dichotomy: They have troves of evidence, but the shooter remains an enigma.
Digging themselves out: With Santa Claus parade cancelled, Londoners make best of snowy situation
Londoners continue to dig themselves out from this week’s massive snowstorm.
Trump is welcomed by Macron to Paris with presidential pomp and joined by Zelenskyy for their talks
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Donald Trump to Paris with a full dose of presidential pomp for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Groups launch legal challenge against Alberta's new gender-affirming treatment law
A pair of LGBTQ2S+ advocate organizations say they've followed through with their plan to challenge Alberta's three transgender bills in court, starting with one that bars doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for those under 16.
Canada's air force took video of object shot down over Yukon, updated image released
The Canadian military has released more details and an updated image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023.
U.S. announces nearly US$1 billion more in longer-term weapons support for Ukraine
The United States will provide nearly US$1 billion more in longer-term weapons support to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday.
New plan made to refloat cargo ship stuck in St. Lawrence River for two weeks
Officials say they have come up with a new plan to refloat a large cargo ship that ran aground in the St. Lawrence River two weeks ago after previous efforts to move the vessel were unsuccessful.