It appears that the Conservative government is planning of tabling back to work legislation to end the postal strike that started today.
Canada Post had decided to lock out their employees and now mail service to and from the urban centers has stopped.
Mail is no longer being accepted, collected or distributed in most Canadian cities except for select government issued cheques. But some smaller communities may still recieve mail because their postal services are handled by the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association, thought it should be noted that they will not accept mail from customers.
Canada Post‘s e-Post site is still up and running so you can get your bills from that service or online directly from the businesses you deal with.
BTW, some retailers do offer alternative shipping methods to their Canadian customers.
The following Canadian retailers offer an option to ship to their local stores :
The following Canadian retailers offer courier shipping :
chapters.indigo.ca
(Greater Toronto Area)
Sony Style Canada(Major Cities/By Appointment)
Tigerdirect.ca – FREE SHIPPING* on selected PC Deals at TigerDirect!
Amazon.ca
It should be noted that Amazon.com
They use DHS Global Mail for Standard and Expedited Shipping, and UPS or DHL for Priority Shipping. BUT shipments valued above $20 Canadian may incur importation fees, which in this case would be administed by the courier, in addition to the standard duties and taxes.
International shipments valued at less than $20 are not subject to duties, taxes or importation fees because of the Low Value Shipment (LVS) process at the Canadian Border Services Agency, with some restrictions.
Additional information in regards to the possible alternatives will be added to this blog entry a.s.a.p. You can also keep track of the strike using these two links :
It appears that Alberta residents will have be able to drop off letters to their provincial government at some of their provincial government offices.
click here for details