Provinces, territories make backup plans for essential services during Canada Post strike

Nearly a week after Canada Post workers went on strike nationwide, federal, provincial and territorial governments say Canadians will still be able to receive essential government mail and financial support cheques through other means.

The strike has brought mail delivery across the country to a halt. Only certain government cheques are still being mailed out.

An agreement between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) allows some unionized employees to deliver federal support payments during the labour dispute. Those payments include the Canada Child Benefit, Old Age Security and the Canada Pension Plan.

Service Canada says most of the people who receive these federal financial assistance payments — between 94 and 98 per cent — get the funds through direct deposit.

The federal government says employment insurance (EI) clients can contact Service Canada if they are in "dire need." Service Canada says it can make arrangements for cheques to be delivered to their homes or a government office.

Nearly all other government support payments and correspondence will not be mailed during the strike. Most provinces and territories are making support cheques available for pickup at government offices. They are also encouraging people to switch to online payments or direct deposit if they can.

In Ontario, welfare and disability support cheques are not being mailed out. A spokesperson for the provincial government said about 2.5 per cent of recipients still get their money via cheques in the mail.

"There is a plan in place to ensure that clients will receive their payment through their local offices on time," the spokesperson said in an email to CBC News.

Ontarians who receive disability payments by mail will be contacted by local offices and told where their cheques will be sent at the end of the month, the spokesperson added.

In Quebec, a long list of payments will be distributed through most provincial services offices on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"The Government of Quebec is doing everything in its power to enable thousands of government program beneficiaries to receive their cheques," the provincial government's website says.

The government of British Columbia is warning there could be longer lineups as people come to get their payments at ministry offices.

"Bring your ID and be patient with staff," the province's website reads.

Postal workers have agreed to deliver Alberta's Seniors Benefit and Alberta Pension cheques. The Alberta government says it's also using "contingent mail services."