Canada Post: Here’s what happens to your mail

Article content

After two days back on the job following a return to work order from the Canada Labour Relations Board, Canada Post said locations “became fully operational” Wednesday afternoon and have begun accepting new commercial letters and parcels today.

Article content

Article content

But unlike the Santa Letters, which the Crown Corporation promised would arrive at the North Pole before Christmas, there’s no guarantee greeting cards and gifts will be delivered by Dec. 25 or even before year’s end.

Article content

“With a large, integrated network of processing plants, depots and post offices, stabilizing operations will take time and the company asks Canadians for their patience,” it wrote in its most recent statement on Wednesday.

Delivery delays, it added, could stretch into January 2025.

Here’s what you need to know as operations ramp up:

How is Canada Post prioritizing packages as operations resume?

With reportedly millions of items waiting to be processed across the network, Canada Post has said it’s prioritizing packages “on a first-in, first-out basis” – meaning items dropped off closest to the strike’s start date on Nov. 15 will be processed first.

The National Post has asked Canada Post for an estimate of how many packages are backlogged and is awaiting a response.

Wycliffe Odour, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 710 which represents 2,500 Canada Post staffers in Alberta, told the Calgary Herald that things should mostly be normal with minimal delays apart from working through the holidays.

Article content

Article content

“All our members have gone back to work and we are capable of handling large volumes,” he said.

In an interview with CBC, spokesperson John Hamilton said there were “a couple million” pieces of mail that were moved to a secure space during the strike that will need to be relocated and reprocessed before going out for delivery.

When will Canadians start to get their mail?

Canadians have been free to start picking up or receiving mail as of Tuesday, but due to the backlog and depending on when it was sent, there was no guarantee it would be out for delivery or ready for pickup.

Odour told the Herald that mail held at their location since the strike should be processed by Tuesday.

Some of those packages, like the citizenship documents of Ontario resident Farzam Hassani, were transported to storage facilities during the strike and will need to be reprocessed before going out for delivery.

Hassani, who had to cancel a trip to reunite with his wife because his Iranian passport and other documents were held in storage, told the National Post his delivery status hasn’t changed.

“Carded items held at local post offices during the strike will remain available for pickup for 15 days from Dec. 15,” according to Canada Post.

Article content

When can Canadians send mail?

As of Thursday morning, Canada Post was accepting parcels from regular Canadians, small business owners and commercial businesses.

Already suspended service guarantees will stay that way as Canada Post gets to full capacity.

What about international mail?

Along with the backlog of domestic mail, Canada Post also said it has a “significant accumulation of international” items to process and deliver.

As such, “customers should expect delays into 2025.”

For anyone looking to send mail internationally, Canada Post won’t start accepting mail and parcels until Monday, Dec. 23.

Early in the strike, the United States Postal Service stopped accepting mail bound for Canada at the request of Canada Post. As of Thursday morning, that suspension remains in place.

What about letters to Santa?

While that Christmas card to a cousin in New Jersey likely won’t arrive in time to find a home on the fireplace mantle, Canada Post has vowed to deliver children’s letters to Santa Claus mailed by Dec. 23.

“The scanners in our plants are set up to locate Santa letters, which are identified by the HOH OHO postal code. This allows us to deliver these letters straight to the North Pole,” Canada Post said in a statement.

“Although Santa won’t have time to respond to letters received through the mail this year, we want to let children know that their letters will make it to him by Christmas Eve.”

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Article content