Saskatoon businesses prepare for possible holiday impact amid Canada Post strike

Marcus Storey, owner of Escape Sports, said he has had to rely on private couriers amid the Canada Post strike. (Stacey Hein / CTV News)

As Canada Post workers mark their second week on the picket line, some Saskatoon businesses say they’ve had to adapt to disruptions in postal services during their busiest time of year.

“A lot of people rely on November and December as a big part of their revenue for the year. I commonly make the analogy that it's harvest season for small retailers,” said Cole Thorpe, owner of Prairie Proud – a Saskatoon-based clothing company.

Thrope said he primarily uses Canada Post to ship to customers who live in rural areas, but it’s been challenging since workers went on strike.

“We've had to adapt like most small businesses. Unfortunately, there's no timeline on when the strike may be resolved, so we have pivoted,” he said.

He has resorted to private couriers which he said do not ship to post office boxes.

It’s also an added cost, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

“Eighty per cent of small businesses rely on Canada Post for their business - any alternative to Canada Post services is much more expensive to use,” said Jasmin Guénette with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said its demands are reasonable. A statement on the union’s website said among the items it’s calling for are “fair wages” and “safe working conditions.”

Canada Post told CTV News talks continued over the weekend. It said, “progress was limited,” but it’s trying to move forward with urgency.

Marcus Storey, owner of Escape Sports, said while he’s also had to rely on private couriers, he’s not too worried about the strike yet.

“We don't get too stressed out about it. There's only so much we can do,” he said.

“If it drives more people to the store, I'm okay with that because we enjoy that aspect of our business.”