Cities making backup plans as postal strike hits Newfoundland and Labrador elections

Provincial and municipal election signs shown around St. John's on early Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

ST. JOHN’S — Canada Post workers have gone on strike in the middle of municipal and provincial elections in Newfoundland and Labrador, leaving some jurisdictions scrambling.

In a notice on its election website, the City of St. John’s says ballots mailed in by the Sept. 24 deadline may still be in the Canada Post system.

The city says it’s devising a contingency plan to deal with the situation.

In the nearby town of Paradise, officials are asking residents to put their mail-in ballots in a drop box outside a local arena.

The town says in a Facebook post that it is trying to figure out how to deal with mail-in ballots still in the postal system.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers launched the strike Thursday after Ottawa announced it would allow the Crown corporation to take bold steps to shore up its struggling finances, including terminating daily door-to-door delivery.

Municipal elections are scheduled for Oct. 2, and the provincial general election is on Oct. 14.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2025.