Canada’s postal system has ground to a halt.
Hours after the federal government announced major changes to modernize Canada Post, including ending home delivery and closing some post offices, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers declared a nationwide strike.
With the Crown Corporation recently reporting billions of dollars in losses, the Minister responsible for Canada Post, Joël Lightbound said the government would allow Canada Post to enact several reforms aimed at making the corporation more financially viable.
The biggest proposed change would be to eliminate door-to-door delivery and instead provide community mailboxes. Another part of Canada’s modernization plan would see Canada Post close rural post offices in areas that are over-served.
The union representing 55,000 postal workers said it was caught off-guard by the changes and argued Canada Post and the government are creating the conditions that drive down demand for its letter and parcel services.
Mail and parcels will not be processed or delivered for the duration of the national strike, and some post offices will be closed. Service guarantees are suspended for items already in the postal network. No new items will be accepted until the national disruption is over.
Canada Post officials say all mail and parcels in the network will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible once operations resume. However, a national strike of any length will impact service to Canadians and businesses well after the strike activity ends. Processing and delivery may take some time to fully return to normal.
