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Canadians could see delays in their holiday mail, with the threat of a strike or lockout coming to Canada Post this Friday, but the impact could extend beyond parcels and greeting cards.
Charities bracing for the impact, include a kitchen at the Hope Mission that prepares thousands of hot meals for vulnerable Edmontonians a day. It’s a program that runs on community donations.
“There is a significant amount of people who donate by cheque through the mail and will send in donations through our gift processing centre. So having that delayed has a significant impact on our vulnerable neighbours,” said Kevin Wiebe, the donor relations manager of the Hope Mission.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers issued a 72-hour strike notice Tuesday, met by a lockout notice from the company.
The two have been in negotiations for nearly a year with the union most recently voting against a proposal for 11.5 per cent salary increase over four years, saying they want to see better working conditions, and ‘protection from technological change’.
But with the uncertainty of mail delivery is extra pressure for the Hope Mission, which has already seen the demand for hot meals skyrocket from 1,800 a day last year to over 2,500 this year.
Hoping Edmontonians will donate online or give them a call instead so they have the funds to offer enough Christmas meals to those in need.
“There are so many of our community members, who don’t have family or don’t have support, they are so lonely. But then having their Christmas meal, they say it’s like having a family here. That there is a sense of joy, and community and hope,” said Wiebe.