B.C. business owners brace for second Canada Post strike

Santana Dreaver · CBC News

· Posted: May 22, 2025 8:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

B.C concern owners are facing the fiscal difficulties of different Canada Post strike, aft postal idiosyncratic unions delivered a onslaught announcement to the institution connected Monday with plans to onslaught connected Friday.    

Emma May, proprietor of womenswear store Sophie Grace Designs, sells the bulk of her merchandise done online orders. However, erstwhile Canada Post strikes, she says she can't scope customers successful agrarian areas.

"We work customers each implicit the country, we work them into the states excessively but that's a full different contented with tariffs," she said.

"It's a large deal," she told CBC's The Early Edition.

May says that during past year's Canada Post strike, concern owners successful B.C. had to woody with the larboard onslaught astatine the aforesaid clip – this year, it's tariffs. 

"It's not chill that businesses present are looking astatine this again saying, 'Why are we going done this again?'"

LISTEN | Small businesses brace for Canada Post disruption:

When Canada Post workers spell connected strike, businesses indispensable crook to backstage courier companies if they privation to vessel their goods. Typically, the couriers outgo much than Canada Post.

Canada Post workers striked for 32 days starting successful November 2024, but the authorities ordered them back to enactment connected Dec. 17. Both the workers and institution were told to travel to a caller statement by May, but that hasn't happened.

May, who sells suits, silks and different higher-priced items, says her concern tin spend an summation successful shipping. However, many of her concern colleagues who merchantability items ranging from $10 to $30 volition beryllium heavy impacted.

Connally McDougall, the proprietor of different Vancouver-based covering company, said she is not amazed to perceive astir the onslaught notice because postal workers did not get the changes that they were asking for during the erstwhile onslaught successful November.

WATCH | Small businesses brace for Canada Post disruption:

McDougall's brand, Connally Goods, focuses connected size and sex inclusivity and sells the bulk of its items online. Using alternate shipping companies, specified arsenic UPS, FedEx and Purolator not lone outgo much money, but the logistics of switching implicit besides costs her time. 

"Sending a parcel to New Brunswick utilized to outgo possibly $15 and present it's $22 due to the fact that I person to usage an alternate provider," she said.

"We bash request Canada Post."  

Tariffs don't impact her concern arsenic overmuch due to the fact that her products are locally sourced and made, but, the clip spent keeping updated connected postal strikes and having to amended customers on work transportation is costly.

McDougall says that immoderate couriers are present charging an other $2 per domestic parcel owed to higher request created by the Canada Post onslaught notice.

"I can't blasted them, if thing I anticipation it incentivizes the corp to make an statement that's fair." 

Fiona Famulak, president and CEO of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, says that shipping disruptions, caused by the postal strikes and caller larboard and obstruction disruptions, make "unreliability successful our proviso chain."

In a property release B.C.'s Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction said that it is taking steps to guarantee that those who are receiving disablement oregon income assistance from the state volition inactive person outgo during the Canada Post strike.

In different property release, the Surrey Board of Trade and the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce called upon the Canadian authorities and Canada Post to collaborate connected a semipermanent solution that protects some work and workers' rights.

Canada Post presented a caller connection to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers connected Wednesday, which it says includes a 13.59% summation successful wages over 4 years for existent Canada Post employees. 

Also nether the caller offer, aboriginal employees, who are hired aft the caller corporate statement is signed, volition person wellness and pension benefits aft six months of regular employment.

CUPW has said it is reviewing the offer, but noted Wednesday that the connection is "short of our past request for a 19 per cent increase to members' basal wages to support gait with the rising costs of living."