Saskatchewan businesses brace for another Canada Post strike

Saskatchewan small businesses are bracing for the impact of another Canada Post Strike.

A 72-hour strike notice was issued by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers on Tuesday, with a deadline of midnight on Friday.

Kyle Moffatt, co-founder of Sticks & Doodles in Regina, said he is feeling more prepared this time around.

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The small business exclusively relied on Canada Post to fulfill orders, but now uses UPS and Purolator in addition to the national carrier after the previous strike.

“I wish we were just able to keep using Canada Post, but we have to get our orders out (and) we need to pay our bills,” Moffatt said.

Still, Moffat said he is rushing to get orders out the door before the strike for customers who will be receiving their shipment from Canada Post. To prepare, he has stopped taking orders to ship to P.O. boxes.

“Canada Post is really important because we have a huge amount of our sales from rural customers in Saskatchewan,” Moffatt said, adding that he is still nervous because sales will be impacted for those customers.

“It’s a big ask to say ‘you have to drive to Regina if you want your order,’ when you live two hours away in a small town in southeast Saskatchewan,” he said.

Moffatt reflected on the previous Canada Post strike, where the business had thousands of orders out, adding that at times he remade orders for customers needing them for special occasions like weddings.

“We really do care about every order,” he said, adding that since the strike, he has seen more support province-wide.

“It means something to us every time somebody chooses to shop with us.”

Moffatt said the strike could put the “livelihood on the line” for other small businesses across the country that rely on letter mail to fulfill orders.

Moffatt explained he also sympathizes with the Canada Post workers who are going back on strike.

“If this could all get resolved, there’d be so many happy people everywhere,” he said.

Owner of Iannone’s Footwear & Shoe Clinic, Tim Iannone in Regina, echoed those concerns about the strike’s impact on small businesses.

“We’re almost a dying breed, but definitely it’s very important to be able to get your wares out to people,” he said.

“We don’t do tons and tons of mail-outs, although we do mail to all provinces in Canada at times, (and) it’s very important for a lot of businesses.”