The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says about 80 per cent of small businesses in Canada rely on Canada Post for shipping goods or for invoicing or receiving payments.Posted: Nov 15, 2024 12:37 PM EST | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago
Slingerland said Sterling's Suncatchers has ended online shipping and that, for the time being, local customers will have to pick up their purchases."I'm so used to Canada Post. That's all I've ever worked with. And they're right around the corner. I know the people at the mail office. I know the guy that comes to the door," added the small business owner.
Slingerland isn't used to working with courier services like UPS or FedEx, instead using Canada Post because they offer small business discounts — and because they do direct pick-up, which is helpful because Slingerland has a disability. Corinne Pohlmann, executive vice-president of CFIB, told CBC News it's "somewhat disappointing" that the federal government is pushing for negotiation rather than binding arbitration.
Earlier in the week, some small businesses were already bracing themselves. One shop owner in Toronto said that a strike would potentially cost his store $60,000 a month. "Forty-five per cent of our business goes out through Canada Post. So if all of a sudden we can't ship that 45 per cent, you can't meet your overhead."