Windsor residents stuck waiting for passports amid postal strike

The Canada Post strike is causing major headaches for Windsor residents trying to get their passports in time for holiday travel.

Some have the option to pay extra to bypass the system, but many are left waiting indefinitely — forced to cancel long-anticipated trips.

Felicia Priestyski is among those feeling the pressure.

“We're traveling on Boxing Day, and we needed to have them in time,” she told CTV News after speaking with Service Canada officials at Windsor’s downtown passport office.

“They said they have to go through Purolator to get it in.”

Paying extra for local pickup

Travelers like Pristyski have the option to pay an additional fee to pick up their passports locally, sidestepping the postal system. But some are frustrated by the unexpected added cost.

“Normally we have everything mailed to our home, and now we need to pay extra for picking up our stuff,” said Perla Granillo, who’s hoping to make it home to Mexico for Christmas.

Paullina Percivalli faced a similar situation when applying.

“She just said that if I wanted to get it right away, I would just pay the $20 and I can pick it up. And then if not, they don't really know necessarily when we could grab our passports.”

Others, like Tim Jarison, decided the extra expense was worth it.

“We thought it would be worth it to pay the extra $20 to come if we could have it ourselves,” he said.

When asked how it went, he said perfect.

“Got it early. Picked it up. Two minutes. Not a problem,” he said.

Rae-Ann Zaduk also found local pick up a workable option.

“It's not so bad of an inconvenience. I paid a little bit extra to have my passport picked up here. So, I'll hold it for 30 days.”

Some left in limbo

Those without access to a local passport office — or whose applications were already in the mail before the strike began — are left without the $20 solution.

Windsor resident Manthan Saliya applied for his passport on Nov. 21 and expected to receive it this week.

With no sign of its arrival, his family’s holiday travel plans have been put on hold.

“I don’t know how long I have to wait now,” he shared.

“I was planning to surprise my wife, and we were planning to travel for Christmas time. She told me she really wanted to go. But unfortunately, now, due to this situation, we cannot fly anywhere.”

185,000 passports on hold

Service Canada said it is currently holding 185,000 passports due to the postal strike. The federal government’s only official statement on the matter is that “wait times during the current postal strike could be longer than normal.”

Frustration among residents is mounting as negotiations between the two sides remain at a standstill.

“It’s nonsensical. Let’s get these guys back to work,” Windsorite Ray Lenarduzzi.

“Let’s give them a fair contract. Businesses are losing millions; people are being inconvenienced.”

For now, Windsor residents needing passports are stuck playing a waiting game with holiday deadlines rapidly approaching.