Canada Post strike | What happens to my mail?

Can we still put mail in Canada Post red boxes? And what happened with the letter you sent a few hours before the strike began last Friday? Here’s what you need to know.

Will my letter or package left shortly before the strike in a mailbox or post office reach its destination?

No. Not at the moment. Canada Post was very clear on this subject in its press release published last Friday: “Mail and packages will not be processed or delivered during the national strike and some post offices will be closed. » Mail and packages will be delivered “as soon as possible” when activities resume according to the “first in, first out” principle. It could be slow, even from this restart: “It could take some time before processing and delivery returns to normal.”

So what happens to my shipments? Will I lose them?

Canada Post assures that “all mail and all packages in the postal network will be secure”.

Can I still drop off letters or packages at Canada Post?

Again, no. “No new items will be accepted until the end of the nationwide work stoppage,” specifies the state-owned company. Furthermore, Teamsters Canada, which represents unionized employees of Purolator, which is 91% owned by Canada Post, announced that its members would not process mailings bearing the postmark or coming from post offices.

What happens with my employment insurance, social assistance or pension check?

It all depends on the issuer. The Quebec government announced last weekend that checks falling under its jurisdiction – the list mentions around forty – will be available in “different distribution locations in Quebec depending on your place of residence”. You must present a valid form of identification, “every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. in most Services Québec offices.”

As for the federal government, an agreement with Canada Post provides that certain social benefit checks will still be delivered “once a month”, despite the strike. Canada Pension Plan checks, Canada Pension Plan disability benefits, Old Age Security and the Canada Child Benefit will therefore be sent.

At the same time, both governments encourage beneficiaries to register for their online services to receive a direct deposit as well as to consult and update their file as well as to apply for benefits.

Consult the measures taken by the Government of Canada

Find your Quebec government distribution location