LAKELAND - Regional letter mail and parcel deliveries through Canada Post are at a standstill as the strike by postal workers continues.
Staff at the Canada Post office on 50 Ave in St. Paul are part of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), which went on strike Nov. 15 after a year of unsuccessful bargaining with the crown corporation over wages and working conditions.
But not all Canada Post workers are part of CUPW. Some offices in the Lakeland are staffed by the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association (CPAA), which means those offices are open in a limited capacity.
Elaine Schmidtt is the post manager at Canada Post in Cold Lake, where the doors are open, and the phone is being answered.
“We are open, but we’re not allowed to accept anything because the drivers and the plants are all on strike, but if it’s here already you can come and collect it,” said Schmidtt.
The St. Paul Post Office is the only CUPW staffed office in the Lakeland, so the impact of the strike is being felt most significantly there.
Lakeland This Week uses Canada Post to deliver its newspapers. Since the strike, the front of the office has been taken over by stacks of papers and the front door has chimed with a steady stream of subscribers coming in to pick up their papers.
Clare Gauvreau, publisher with Lakeland This Week, said it certainly makes them rethink their carrier for St. Paul. “We can’t be relying on an undependable service. We’re happy people can stop in, and we’ve put a box out front for convenience. Thankfully there’s been no impact in any of our other delivery areas,” said Gauvreau.
Sticker shock of private couriers
For people and businesses who need to ship parcels urgently and can’t wait indefinitely for Canada Post to resume services, private courier services like Purolator and FedEx are still available.
Jennifer Green is the owner of Simplistic Gifts in St. Paul, which is a drop-off and pick-up point for Purolator and FedEx. She said she’s seen about a 25 per cent increase in foot traffic since the strike began, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to the same increase in business.
“Courier prices are always more than Canada Post, so I think people are finding the cost quite shocking,” said Green. “We do try and find the cheaper option for our customers if they need to get something out.”