Edmonton retailers look for contingency plans ahead of possible Canada Post strike
CBC
Edmonton retailers are keeping a close eye on the possible job action looming at Canada Post as they stock their shelves for Black Friday and holiday shopping.
With many business owners staring down their busiest season, Canada Post workers issued a 72-hour strike notice on Tuesday.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) will be in a legal strike position Friday, unless new agreements are reached. No strike date has been set, but both rural and urban mail carriers could be off the job.
"Especially since COVID started, everything around the Christmas season has been a lot harder to get things moving, get things shipping," said Brandon Schatz, owner of Edmonton comic and graphic novel store Variant Edition.
"Generally speaking, getting in product now is key because in December, you can't guarantee anything."
Schatz said many small businesses rely on Canada Post because they don't deal with the product volume that would qualify them for cheaper rates from other couriers and shipping companies.
His store does a lot of mail-order business, and Schatz said many book distributors also rely on Canada Post for invoicing and payment.
He said he understands the reasons behind possible strike action — wage increases, pensions and medical leave are major sticking points, according to CUPW.
Watch | Edmonton businesses prepare for possible strike:
For now, Schatz is trying to prepare for the possible impacts to his bottom line, and how to navigate a situation where other shipping companies have to scramble to absorb spiking demand.
"Just adding another stress to the system might kick things up a notch again," Schatz said.
At independent bookseller Audrey's Books, manager Kelly Dyer said the business doesn't rely on Canada Post for the majority of their stock. But it's still the busiest time of year for new book releases, and Dyer said many smaller, independent publishers use Canada Post to get their books to local stores like Audrey's.
"We'll have to pivot. We'll find a way, just like we did during COVID," Dyer said.
"In speaking with some of the publishers — even just this morning, placing orders with some of those smaller publishers — they're trying to find ways to pivot too, just in case."
Carolyn Law didn't think much of it when a snow goose landed in her Richmond, B.C., backyard, on Halloween.
Three Ontario police associations released a statement Wednesday calling on the federal government to implement stricter bail policies, after plainclothes Toronto police officers were caught in a gunfight between two groups in the city's west end Monday night while conducting a unrelated bail compliance check.
With an ambitious housing target looming, the province is hoping to spur more interest among young people about starting a career in one of more than 100 skilled trades.
The Sisters of Mercy Convent in downtown St. John's used to house nuns. Now, the 19th century building can sleep and house nearly 100 people struggling to find a safe place to rest or call home.
David Boghosian's time as integrity commissioner for the City of Greater Sudbury ended rather abruptly on Tuesday night after city council voted to dismiss him.
As Melissa Sheehy-Richard goes door to door asking for people's support in the district of Hants West during Nova Scotia's provincial election, the Progressive Conservative candidate says she's humbled by the response she's received in her re-election bid.
A proposal from Irving Pulp & Paper Ltd. to build a parking lot on part of what is now the west Saint John Wolastoq park has been referred to the city's planning advisory committee amid opposition from local residents.
Some workers from Africa who were hired to cut vegetation under Hydro-Québec power lines are sounding the alarm about unsafe working conditions, cramped housing and transportation issues.
Northern Manitoba's biggest city will be ringing in the new year with the closure of its only veterinary clinic.
It is election day in Saskatchewan — again.
The City of Charlottetown is getting ready to electrify the transit system in the capital region, but it might be a while before routes are expanded.