'We're already seeing the relief': Edmonton businesses react to Canada Post workers returning to work

Postal service resumes in Edmonton Business owners say they're relieved Canada Post workers are back on the job. David Ewasuk reports.

After four weeks on the picket lines across the country, Canada Post workers are back delivering mail to people ahead of the holidays.

Over the weekend the Canadian Industrial Relations Board ordered postal workers back on the job, with a deal to come in the new year.

Record Collectors Paradise in Edmonton doesn’t ship with Canada Post, but Simon Guile says the strike impacted other couriers, making them busier and creating delays for customers.

“A lot of the shipping companies weren’t accepting packages at a certain point because they were overloaded so hopefully that will ease some of the bottleneck there and we’ll be able to get our packages a bit easier,” said Guile, an employee at the store.

Now, the record store will find it easier to get shipments from Quebec.

“We got two shipments shipped today even so I think that we’re already seeing the relief already,” Guile added.

He’s hopeful he’ll also receive a Christmas gift he ordered in the beginning of November from England.

Due to the strike, Guile says there was a delay with getting records in, a worry ahead of the holidays.

Bella Music owner Jim Doucet says he’s “not a fan” of Canada Post and their strike action.

“If they want to cripple an industry, well I’m glad that we’re using courier services like UPS and Purolator and FedEx, because that’s pretty well all we need,” Doucet told CTV News Edmonton.

Canada Post workers are working under their existing contracts, however it and the union agreed to implement a five per cent wage increase, retroactive to the day after the collective agreements expired.

While more than 55,000 workers are back on the job, Canada Post is warning Canadians they should expect delays until January.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s David Ewasuk and The Canadian Press