Mail service from Canada Post will resume in Fort St John as the rotating strike ends in the city after over a month-long stoppage of deliveries.
The rotating strike in the city began when it was announced, Oct. 11, after the nationwide strike began about two weeks prior.
Fort St John’s postal service union is the only one nationwide to have remain on strike for the entire 33 day period thus far. The union’s strike prevented mail from being delivered by Canada Post, who are responsible for delivering city mail, B.C. Hydro’s utility bills, and other essentials. In lieu of mail service, many organizations suggested customers shift to online payments.
This strike ending does not mean mail service will resume uninterrupted as the Canadian Union of Postal Workers continues rotating locations. The Crown corporation posts updated lists of striking cities every morning.
“Once the strike is over in a given location, the delivery of mail and parcels will restart as quickly as possible,” said Canada Post, who cautioned customers to expect a delay in their deliveries.
Given the length of the strike, the mail delivery service said processing pending packages will take time for returning workers. Mail drop-offs are being accepted at local post offices, though they will also be subject to these delays.
“When our operations resume we will need to begin processing the mail and parcels trapped in our network. As we continue to operate with an unstable network, it will take time to clear the trapped volume and manage operational resources,” explained Canada Post.
The entirety of Quebec, sans the Metro-Montreal region, is partially striking. Workers in the province are delivering mail and parcels, but not flyers. In neighbouring Ottawa, the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates “(continued) hearings into the situation at Canada Post” this morning, the union said.
