Charities concerned as Canada Post strike drags on

CITYnews halifax / By Natasha O’Neill

A prominent charity in Nova Scotia is worried about what the latest Canada Post strike will mean for donations heading into its busiest season.

Michelle Porter, the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Souls Harbour, told The Todd Veinotte Show that a large portion of donations come through the mail.

“October, November, December; like a million dollars or more,” she said. “So, it’s pretty significant with the mail strike going on right now.”

The organization is best known for its meal services, providing food to people in the province who would otherwise go hungry. It has been expanding over the last several years, also offering two recovery programs and housing women at an affordable rate at its complex in Bridgewater.

It is a charity and relies on the generosity of people, who typically send in donations via mail, but the strike by Canada Post workers has shifted the organization to push for other ways people can donate, including by phone and e-transfer.

Related:

• Canada Post sending new offers to union with aim to move talks forward
• What the Canada Post strike means for your passports, pension cheques and more
• Canada Post union launches strike as Ottawa moves to end most door-to-door mail

After weeks of stalled negotiations and mounting pressure on both sides, Canada Post presented a new set of contract offers to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) on Friday. It pledged wage increases and benefit protections while stressing the need to modernize its operations and address mounting financial pressures.

Jim Gallant, a Canada Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) negotiator, said that he can’t go into details on the offer, but the union is “not pleased.”

“We’re not quite sure why Canada Post took a couple of months to come back with offers,” he told The Todd Veinotte Show.

According to Gallent, the majority of the latest offer, except for one portion, is the same as the May 28th offer, which was rejected by 70 per cent of bargaining units.

“We find ourselves basically in the same spot, only worse at this point,” he said. “I think that if management had their way, this would be the end of the Canada Post.”

Despite the added pressure, all holiday meals Souls Harbour is planning will go ahead.

“In fact, with the expansion of locations, I think we’re going to be serving at least 1,200 Thanksgiving dinners this year,” Porter said.

There has been an increase in demand for the organization’s services. Porter said that more than 200 people a day come to the location in Halifax for food, and around 80 people daily are going to FreeMart, a basic needs room for things like clothing and toiletries.

When asked if she’s concerned about the donations being delayed by Canada Post, Porter said people will find a way.

“Like last year, I think people are just going to step up. We’ll do what we have to do,” she said.