Just as postal workers ended an overtime ban, they stopped delivering flyers across the country. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said the move is an attempt to force Canada Post back to the bargaining table after months of stalled contract talks. “We put our last offer in and it’s been crickets ever since,” said Jim Gallant, a negotiator for CUPW. “[Leadership] is driving the business into the ground.” The group argued the flyer delivery program created difficult working conditions for employees and that not everyone was happy to see advertising prints in their mailbox. “A lot of people don’t like getting flyers,” he said. “Meanwhile, we’re not paid properly for that work — people end up carrying more than 35 pounds at a time or making multiple trips — that has an effect on work-life balance.” He added the decision was not taken lightly but said it was necessary to highlight ongoing issues of fair wages and safe working conditions. Canada Post warns of consequences On its end, the Crown corporation pushed back on the decision. Canada Post spokesperson Genevieve Joly told CTV News the company was “disappointed” CUPW chose to ban the delivery of Neighbourhood Mail, effective today. “This decision will impact the thousands of Canadian businesses that reach their customers with information and offers through the mail,” Joly wrote in a statement. “It will also impact CUPW-represented employees who are paid to deliver flyers on top of their wages.” Canada Post said the action added to uncertainty at the corporation, which reported a loss of $407 million in the second quarter of 2025. Since 2018, Canada Post has accumulated more than $5 billion in operational losses. “Without significant changes, these losses will continue and will be borne by taxpayers, which is not sustainable,” added Joly. “CUPW’s most recent offers either maintained or hardened its positions on many items, adding significant new costs.” She urged the union to return with “workable solutions that reflect our current reality and get the parties closer to a resolution.” Small businesses brace for fallout Although Canadians have mixed feelings about receiving printed ads at home, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said the move would hurt entrepreneurs who depend on flyers as a low-cost way to reach customers. “We know that about 20 per cent of small businesses across the country use the flyer service as a marketing tool,” said Michelle Auger, a senior policy analyst at CFIB. She added the timing could not have been worse. “With the trade tensions going on, we know that small businesses really are feeling squeezed on every front,” Auger said. “What’s even more troubling is how escalating tensions at Canada Post could lead to a strike right as we get closer to the holiday season.” The combination of factors is causing growing uncertainty for some, she said, adding that the latest move by the workers union could lead to some businesses to seek alternatives. “About two-thirds of small businesses could potentially abandon Canada Post altogether,” Auger told CTV News. “It’s a means for small businesses to get that deal in front of their community.” Gallant pushed back on criticism that CUPW was punishing businesses and insisted the blame lay squarely with Canada Post leadership. “Small and medium businesses need us, and we want to be serving that community,” he said. “But the few people in charge, at the top of Canada Post, have no idea what they’re doing. They need to be removed.” He urged business owners to join CUPW in pressuring Ottawa to intervene. “The federal government needs to get Canada Post back to the table,” Gallant said. “Management either needs to accept our last offer or return to serious negotiations.” Uncertain road ahead Both sides said they remained committed to reaching a deal, but with the holiday mailing rush approaching, there’s no sign of tensions easing. While the corporation argued escalating strike activity “will only have further negative impacts on the company,” Gallant said the dispute was about fighting for workers’ rights. “We were ordered back to work last year because they called us essential to the economy,” he said. “And yet, [top management] won’t even talk to us now — it feels like all of a sudden, somehow, we became less important to whoever’s making the narrative.” For now, Canadians could expect fewer flyers in their mailboxes — and ongoing uncertainty about the future of the country’s postal service.
