Two of the four Canada Post sites hit by strike action this weekend are in British Columbia — Dawson Creek and Fort St. John — as postal workers across the country move from a nationwide walkout to labour action on a rotating model.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers rotating strikes started Saturday, ending more than two weeks of countrywide job action.
The union says the battle for a fair collective agreement continues, but that the downgraded labour action allows workers to resume their jobs and remind Canadians that a full postal service is worth fighting for.
CUPW declared a countrywide strike on Sept. 25, hours after the government announced changes to the postal service, including an end to door-to-door mail delivery for nearly all Canadian households within the next decade.
Stephen Gale, the regional grievance officer for the union’s B.C. and Yukon chapter, says the goal of the rotating strikes is to avoid widespread disruption.
He said the union’s national executive board will decide which locations are affected to ensure no community bears the impact for long.
“We’re maintaining our strike activity, but we’re also trying to make sure we provide service to the public.”
On Saturday, workers held strikes in Fort St. John, B.C.; Dawson Creek, B.C.; Timmins, Ont.; and St. Anthony, N.L.
A Canada Post building in Fort St. John, B.C. on Sept. 26, 2025 as workers strike. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)
In Dawson Creek, postal worker Aaron Loset, who delivers to about 600 addresses, said residents, particularly seniors, in his community rely heavily on the mail.
“Some days will be lighter, but there’s days where I literally go to every address on my route because I have that much mail,” he said.
“I can immediately think of people on my route that would be basically cut off from the world because all their communication goes through the mail,” he said.
While Loset said he supports the union’s fight, he has mixed feelings about the rotating strike.
“You want to keep pressure on Canada Post, but at the same time, people are hurting financially. We know the cost of living is ridiculous nowadays.”
WATCH | The latest on the rotating strikes:
Postal workers begin rotating strikes, starting in 4 locations
CUPW, the union representing Canada Post workers, is pausing its nationwide strike and instead moving to a rotating strike model. On Saturday, workers held strikes in Fort St. John, B.C.; Dawson Creek, B.C.; Timmins, Ont.; and St. Anthony, N.L.
Maggie Austin, who heads the CUPW local in Dawson Creek, said the shift isn’t a retreat.
“I just think it’s more strategic for us, but we also keep our members happy and keep food on their plates,” she said.
CUPW negotiator Jim Gallant said the rotating strike is a way to remind Canadians what’s at stake.
“We’re showing small snapshots of what’s going on. But the plan for the government is that this service is not going to continue the way it is, and these communities are going to suffer,” he said. “If they’re suffering for one day, what does the rest of the year mean?”
Gallant added the rotating strikes will delay mail delivery in some parts of Canada. He also hinted that workers could resume a nationwide strike at any point.
Community members welcome the move
Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen called the move to rotating strikes a positive step.
“I think it’s a sign of good faith that they’re doing the rotating strikes to help get things through,” Hansen told CBC News. “Canada Post employees — they are neighbours, they are family. Everybody wants to get to a resolution quickly.”
She said reliable mail service is vital for both rural and urban communities, particularly for those who depend on it for affordability and access.
In Vancouver, Azm Jamiul Haque, who runs the Centre Point Postal Outlet, a Canada Post-authorized dealer on Main Street, said news of resumed mail delivery brings relief.
“It just really gives me a stronger hope,” he said. “People waiting for cheques, for gifts, parcels, it’s going to come. At least it will be moving.”
His store offers scanning, photo, printing and laminating services, but he said the postal dealership drives most of the foot traffic.
WATCH | What will it take to save Canada Post?:
Canada Post is effectively bankrupt. Can it be saved? | About That
Can ending door-to-door mail delivery help solve Canada Post’s financial catastrophe? That’s part of the federal government’s proposed solution to curb daily losses in the millions of dollars, but the union has swiftly responded with a nationwide postal worker strike. Andrew Chang explains how Canada Post’s greatest strength may now be its greatest weakness — and how a viable path forward could unfold.
Images provided by Getty Images, The Canadian Press and Reuters.
A previous strike and lockout lasted more than a month in November and December 2024, ending after then-labour minister Steven MacKinnon declared an impasse in the talks and asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order an end to the work stoppage.
“We haven’t fully recovered from the last strike, and then we were back in the same spot,” Haque said.
He said roughly half of his small store’s income depends on postal services.
Canada Post says rotating strike continues instability
Canada Post said in a statement on Friday that it welcomes back its employees, but has warned customers of “uncertainty and instability” in service due to the rotating strikes.
The Crown corporation also said it’s ready to return to the bargaining table, and that it’s still waiting to hear back from the union on its latest offer, made on Oct. 3.
It includes a 13.59 per cent wage increase over four years, health and retirement benefits and up to seven weeks of vacation. But the offer also removes a signing bonus that the corporation said it can no longer afford.
CUPW said last week in a statement that the latest proposal is taking “major steps backwards.”
However, Canada Post has made no indication it plans to sweeten the deal, and it continues to support the government’s plan for a smaller postal service.
“The need to align the business to the current needs of the country, to reduce the dependency on taxpayer dollars, grows more urgent each day this strike continues,” it said.