Whether you need to pay your phone bill, return an online purchase or send a card to your grandmother, Wednesday is the last day to mail your items and ensure they are delivered on time in the event of a service disruption, Canada Post says.
With no deal in place between Canada Post and the union representing its employees, and a July 2 deadline just around the corner, mail delivery in Canada appears on the verge of grinding to a halt. Canada Post says June 29 is the last possible day to mail an item without it becoming trapped in possible lockout limbo, although you may have to pay for a premium delivery option to get that package to its destination on time.
If you're concerned about a speedy delivery, Canada Post says it's already too late to send an expedited parcel through the mail to a destination in your general region, or to send an Xpresspost letter nationally or regionally. However, you can still send a parcel anywhere in the country, if you can get it to the post office by the end of the day and send it as a priority package. Wednesday is also the last possible day to send an expedited parcel or Xpresspost letter to a local destination, without it getting stuck along the way.
Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have been without a contract since 2015, and the two sides remain far apart with a negotiation deadline looming on July 2. The union said on Tuesday that it has asked Canada Post for a two-week extension on the "cooling-off period that would otherwise entail a termination of their contract on July 2."
Canada Post says it's already advised businesses to make contingency plans in the event of a work stoppage. Spokesperson Jon Hamilton says Canada Post is also open to the possibility of using volunteers to deliver social assistance cheques, although they "are not at that point just yet."