After more than two years of labour disruptions and multiple strikes, business owners in Waterloo Region and surrounding areas are on the fence about trusting Canada Post in the future. This comes a day after Canada Post and the Union of Postal Workers reached tentative agreements. Canada Post said the agreements include a 6.5 per cent wage increase in the first year, followed by a three per cent hike in the second year and increases matching the annual inflation rate in years three through five. They also include enhanced benefits and a weekend parcel delivery model. A ratification process is expected early in the new year. Jacqueline O’Neill, the owner of Butterpot Designs in Kitchener, said it has been a rough two years – with many customers losing trust in Canada Post. O’Neill’s business sells pushpin travel maps and travel accessories mostly online. About a month ago she was also at the Etsy Holiday Market. “I have customers asking, ‘Please don’t use Canada Post. I don’t care if it’s the fastest thing.’ You never know what’s going to happen. You never know if they’re going to suddenly stop the mail service again and my stuff’s going to get stuck and you lose that guarantee of an arrival date,” O’Neill told CTV News. She took a break from using Canada Post but intends to go back. “There’s a bit of that loyalty. I’m a Canadian. That’s what I grew up using,” she said. “I would love to get back to using them. It’s a lot easier for me. It’s faster. It’s really close to my house.” A business analyst from Carleton University said it will be tough for Canada Post to bounce back. “They are still bleeding,” Ian Lee, associate professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, said. “They are hemorrhaging incredible amounts of money, so they’re a long way away from where they have to be. They’ve got a huge job ahead to become more dynamic and productive and competitive.” Kristy Miller’s Guelph-based business, The Scented Market, sells scented soy candles, body care and home decor. She said she stopped using Canada Post about two years ago after the first round of strikes. “I wasn’t going to let an outside source like Canada Post be the demise of my small business,” Miller said. She said she lost all trust in Canada Post and will never go back. “It has really changed the dynamic of the business. Online customers are confident that we’re going to get their order out to them on time. Right now we have under a six-hour turnaround for shipping orders, which is pretty amazing for a small business like us,” Miller said. The union and the Crown corporation said they’ve agreed strike or lockout action will not take place during the ratification process. With files from The Canadian Press
