1) Barrie residents: How to pay bills/fines during the Canada Post strike

Courtesy Barrie360.com and News Release

By City of Barrie, Nov 15, 2024

Effective today (Friday, November 15, 2024), Canada Post operations have shut down and mail service has stopped, after Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Canada Post failed to reach a negotiated settlement. Residents are reminded that they are still obligated to pay tax and water/wastewater bills as well as any fines/infractions by the due date.

To avoid late fees, interruptions, or delays, residents are encouraged to use alternate payment or delivery methods. Sign up for water e-billing by creating an online water billing account & get notified by e-mail when your bill is due—it’s fast & easy! Visit barrie.ca/WaterBilling. 

Other options for paying your water/wastewater and tax bills include:

• Pay Your Bills Online: Use online banking or an online bill payment service provider.
• In-Person Payments: Visit your bank, Service Barrie (First floor of City Hall – 70 Collier Street) or by dropping off a cheque in the drop boxes located at the front entrance of City Hall (70 Collier Street).
• Pre-authorized Payments: Sign up for pre-authorized payment plans to avoid delays.

Court Services

Due to the Canada Post labour disruption, please do not mail your payment. Payments can be made on-line at paytickets.ca or by phone. If you wish to request a trial, or submit any other application, please email it or attend in person.   

Tickets Starting with 3860	Tickets Starting with 3861
POA.Barrie@barrie.ca	POA.Orillia@barrie.ca
Tel. 705-739-4291	Tel. 705-326-2960
45 Cedar Pointe Drive Barrie	575 West Street S Unit 10 Orillia

If you are paying an automated speed enforcement ticket fine through paytickets.ca and have received an error message, please try again in seven days from the deemed service date on your ticket.  

Payments for parking tickets are accepted online for a period of 75 days from the date issued.

Stay updated on city notices:

• Visit barrie.ca regularly for the latest updates.
• Follow the City of Barrie on social media.

2) (Updated) Ottawa rules out early intervention to end Canada Post strike

Courtesy Barrie360.com Canadian Press

By Kyle Duggan, Novembre 15, 2024

The Liberal government in Ottawa is signalling it’s not currently planning to intervene to end the Canada Post strike, even though the two sides appear to be far apart and the strike is hitting at the busiest time of year for the postal service.

Some 55,000 workers hit the picket lines across Canada on Friday, after contract negotiations with their employer blew past the 72-hour strike deadline set by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

“I’m not looking at any other solution other than negotiation right now,” Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon told reporters in Montreal Friday morning. “Every day is a new day in collective bargaining and we are going to support the parties in any way we can and try to get a negotiated agreement.”

MacKinnon said Ottawa is helping to mediate the collective agreement, but each day brings “a new series of issues” complicating matters.

“I would characterize these negotiations as extremely difficult,” he said. “There are many big issues to solve at the table and not a lot of progress has been made on those big issues.”

Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the strike is “really bad timing” for small businesses.

Kelly said this will immediately freeze up business invoices already travelling through the mail system, sending people “scrambling to try to get money.”

Santo Ligotti from the Retail Council of Canada said the work stoppage “couldn’t come at a worse time” with the retail supply chain really “taking a beating” after the recent rail and port disruptions. Not to mention, Christmas and Black Friday are just around the corner.

Both groups said if the strike doesn’t end soon, Ottawa should force it to a close.

That’s easier said than done, with a federal election expected to happen by next fall and all the political parties courting organized labour. Plus, Parliament is currently locked in the grips of a privilege debate about the release of government documents, which is blocking legislation from passing.

The two sides met briefly Friday with the mediator but won’t get back to the table again until Monday, according to Jan Simpson, the national president for CUPW.

“We want to get a negotiated deal,” she said, but added that the cost of living has been hard on workers and that’s why the union is fighting for a bigger wage increase.

Godwin Smith, vice-president of the Ottawa local union, was out on the picket lines Friday and said postal workers are prepared to dig in for as long as it takes to reach an agreement.

“We’re just on strike for a fair wage, better working conditions, and we’re tired of Canada Post coming to the bargaining table and just all the time asking for rollbacks,” he said. 

“One day they’re saying yes, the next day they’re saying no. So, we’re just taking two steps forward, one step backward for a year now, and we’re not getting anywhere.” 

Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton disputed that characterization and said one look at the union’s demands immediately makes clear that it would add heavy costs and create “inflexibility” for the postal service. 

“CUPW is in the driver’s seat,” he said. “They’ve decided to take a national strike and shut down the postal service at a critical time for charities or fundraising small businesses who count on this time of year to deliver their parcels for Canadians.”

Mail and parcels will not be delivered for the duration of the strike and some post offices will remain closed, which will deal a stiff blow to rural communities and mom-and-pop shops across Canada.

Catharine Benzie runs a small e-commerce business reliant on Canada Post in her home in Burlington, Ont., called “Cubing Out Loud” which sells various puzzle games, including Rubik’s cube alternatives used in competitive speed competitions.

“It’s a big, big problem for us that they’ve gone on strike,” she said, as it sends her to a costlier alternative shipping service. “It’s going to be a huge cut into our profits.”

Daniel Powder, the mayor of Stony Rapids, Sask., on the east end of Lake Athabasca, said residents in his area rely heavily on the mail for goods and services, including those who don’t have bank accounts and receive cheques through the mail.

“Mailing is very, very important to the north,” he said. “I am pretty worried about this.” 

“We’re highly dependent on the mail getting things up here for regular commercial-type goods,” said Patrick Chopik, CEO of Athabasca Health Authority. He even had to personally hustle Friday to get a package for an ugly sweater Christmas party onto a charter plane, otherwise it wouldn’t make it up on time.

Canada Post said shutting down facilities will affect its national network, with processing and delivery of mail possibly needing time to return to normal once the strike is over.

Elections Nova Scotia said it will not send voter information cards in the mail due to the strike. Voters seeking information should instead call the agency or go to its website for information ahead of the Nov. 26 election.

— With files from Pierre Saint-Arnaud in Montreal.

3) A ‘lot of ground’ remains between Canada Post, workers as strike talks progress

Courtesy Barrie360.com Canadian Press

By Christopher Reynolds, Nov. 19, 2024.

Canada Post and the postal workers union found slivers of consensus Tuesday amid talks with a special mediator, but “a lot of ground” remains between them on the key concerns as a countrywide strike entered its fifth day.

“On smaller issues, we were able to find some progress,” said Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton in a phone interview.

“The special mediator has helped facilitate those discussions. So we’re going to continue to be at it. We’re committed to getting collective agreements,” he said, adding that arbitration is off the table for now.

“There’s still a lot of ground to cover.”

With deliveries at a standstill, the Crown corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers continue to bargain over a pair of contracts — one for rural and suburban mail carriers that was discussed Monday, the other for urban carriers that was under the microscope on Tuesday.

The union said progress was made due in part to the presence of Ottawa’s top mediator, appointed to the task last week. Peter Simpson, director general of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, spent the start of the week at a hotel in Ottawa shuttling between the parties’ conference rooms in a back-and-forth of proposals and potential concessions.

“After 12 months of discussions, the employer finally began to move on the pressing issues. Resolving these issues could pave the way to agreements,” union president Jan Simpson said in an update to members Tuesday.

“The urban unit will find out if there is movement on their side.”

About 55,000 employees represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers walked off the job on Friday, shutting down operations and halting deliveries as the busy holiday season kicks off.

The union has called for a cumulative wage hike of 24 per cent over four years, while Canada Post has offered an 11.5 per cent increase.

Other wedge issues include job security, benefits and contract work for parcel delivery on weekends.

Negotiations between Canada Post and its unionized employees began in November 2023.

The talks come as the federal delivery service faces an unprecedented financial crisis.

In the first half of 2024, Canada Post lost nearly a half-billion dollars. It has reported $3 billion in losses since 2018, as Canadians sent fewer letters while competitors gobbled up even more of the parcel market. 

Households received seven letters a week on average in 2006, but only two per week last year, according to Canada Post’s latest annual report, which dubbed the trend “the Great Mail Decline.”

Both the union and the Crown corporation have put forward service expansion around parcels as a way to boost revenue, but they differ on how to go about it. The union says full-time employees should deliver package shipments on weekends, while Canada Post hopes to hire contract workers.

“What’s needed there is a new, flexible delivery model that allows us to provide parcel service on weekends and provide prices that are more competitive than the other services that Canadians are looking for when they’re shopping online,” Hamilton said.

According to last year’s annual report, the postal service’s share of the parcel market eroded from 62 per cent before the COVID-19 pandemic to 29 per cent last year, as Amazon and other competitors seized on skyrocketing demand for next-day doorstep deliveries.

On top of weekend work and wage bumps to make up for inflation, the union is seeking higher short-term disability payouts and ten paid sick days per year. It also wants to include corporate vehicles for rural and suburban mail carriers as well as paid meals and breaks.

“Unlike Canada Post’s proposals, our demands offer real solutions: fair wages, health and safety, the right to retire with dignity and expansion of services at the public post office,” said lead negotiator François Senneville in a statement earlier this month.

Amid the sudden halt of Canada Post deliveries — government benefit cheques are among the few exceptions — business has shot up at other shipping outfits.

“We have seen a double-digit increase in volumes week over week as we continue to meet the needs of Canadians at this busy time,” said Purolator — majority-owned by Canada Post — in an email.

FedEx has implemented a “contingency plan” to manage higher volumes, said spokesman James Anderson.

The last postal work stoppage took place starting in late October 2018, when employees carried out rotating strikes lasting 31 days.

Previous postal strikes held in 2011 and 2018 ended when the federal government passed legislation sending employees back to work.

4) (Updated) Canada Post reports $315M quarterly loss as strike enters second week

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Christopher Reynolds, Nov. 22, 2024

Canada Post saw hundreds of millions of dollars drain out of its coffers last quarter, due largely to its dwindling share of the parcels market — while an ongoing strike continues to batter its bottom line.

The Crown corporation said Friday it lost $315 million before tax in the third quarter, larger than its $290 million loss a year earlier.

“An increasingly crowded and highly competitive e-commerce delivery market continued to impact parcels results in the third quarter of 2024,” Canada Post said. The number of packages dropped by six million or nearly 10 per cent year-over-year.

Letter mail volumes also eroded further, though revenue nudged up due to a hike in stamp prices, it said.

The tough financial results put Canada Post on track for “another significant loss” in 2024, which would mark the seventh year in a row in the red.

They also come as Canada Post deals with a weeklong shutdown of its operations after more than 55,000 workers across the country walked off the job on Nov. 15.

The two sides have been wrangling over wages and contract work as well as job security, benefits and working conditions.

Amid the sudden halt of deliveries — government benefit cheques are among the few exceptions — business has increased at other shipping outfits.

“We have seen a double-digit increase in volumes week over week as we continue to meet the needs of Canadians at this busy time,” said Purolator — majority-owned by Canada Post — in an email Tuesday.

FedEx has implemented a “contingency plan” to manage higher volumes, said spokesman James Anderson earlier this week.

Alternative shipping platforms such as Chit Chats have also reported higher volumes because of the job action.

Profit margins for shippers may be widening too, at least temporarily.

Montreal-based pantyhose maker Sheertex said this week that alternative carriers, overloaded with orders, have implemented “significant surge pricing” on shipments.

Small businesses especially have felt the squeeze of the strike, as store owners and entrepreneurs frantically search for workarounds to get orders to customers quickly and affordably.

But even big corporations face hurdles.

“Customers shipping to PO boxes and more rural areas may see delays,” said Walmart Canada spokeswoman Stephanie Fusco in an email. However, she said most consumers making online purchases directly from the company would see “minimal impact.”

The last postal work stoppage took place starting in late October 2018, when employees carried out rotating strikes lasting 31 days.

That strike as well as one in 2011 ended when the federal government passed legislation sending employees back to work.

Canada Post has reported more than $3 billion in losses since 2018, as Canadians sent fewer letters while competitors gobbled up even more of the parcel market. 

Households received seven letters a week on average in 2006, but only two per week last year, according to Canada Post’s latest annual report, which dubbed the trend “the Great Mail Decline.”

Both the union and the Crown corporation have pushed expanded parcel deliveries as a way to boost revenue, but they differ on how to go about it. The union says full-time employees should deliver package shipments on weekends at overtime wage rates, while Canada Post hopes to hire contract workers.

According to last year’s annual report, the postal service’s share of the parcel market eroded from 62 per cent before the COVID-19 pandemic to 29 per cent last year, as Amazon and other competitors seized on skyrocketing demand for next-day doorstep deliveries.

— With files from Tara Deschamps in Toronto