Some B.C. postal workers are adamant Canada Post has manufactured a financial crisis, as the union enters the second week of a strike that has suspended operations.
Workers walked off the job on Thursday, Sept. 25, following an announcement by Prime Minister Mark Carney that the federal Crown corporation would have to be transformed in order to remain viable – starting with the phasing out of door-to-door delivery during the next nine years in favour of community mailboxes, and the closure of some rural post offices.
The sudden announcement came as a shock to workers, said those on the picket line at the Maple Ridge Canada Post office in the 20800-block of Lougheed Highway this week.
Ellen Bowles, a letter carrier at the Maple Ridge post office, and local union representative, said the government has taken off their masks to show they are in support of the erosion of the public service.
Bowles doesn't believe Canada Post is "bleeding money."
"I think what's happened here is that all while we've been trying to negotiate a fair, collective agreement in good faith bargaining, the corporation has been holding their cards really close to themselves and manufacturing a crisis to reflect that the postal structure is in need of these drastic changes," she said.
Bowles noted in the last two years Canada Post has invested $470 million in a new facility in Mississauga, Ont., and millions more on electrifying their vehicle fleet.
In 2023, at the unveiling of the first battery-electric corporate delivery vehicles at the depot in Nanaimo, Canada Post's board chair Suromitra Sanatani said Canada Post set aside $1 billion to cut emissions and move forward on the electrification of its last-mile fleet.
However, Bowles said, Canada Post maintains those investments are a deficit.
"It's hard for me to believe whether or not Canada Post is actually being true with their facts and their financials up front with the communities," said Bowles, adding the company cannot invest the future, then use that spending to "generate a financial crisis."
Bowles noted Canada Post president and CEO Doug Ettinger is also on the board of directors of Purolator, a shipping company in which Canada Post has a 91 per cent stake.
"They have been deliberately pushing Canada Post's business into Purolator," claimed Bowles. "It wouldn't surprise me that Purolator's having record profits right now."
In addition, Bowles said Ettinger receives a salary of more than $500,000 a year at Canada Post, not to mention high salaries of more than a dozen others in senior management positions.
The News reached out to Canada Post and Doug Ettinger for comment on these claims. Lisa Liu, company spokesperson, said the continued strike action by the CUPW has resulted in uncertainty for customers who are looking to avoid Canada Post, "especially after the union trapped parcels and mail during their 32-day strike in November and December, and with their national strike now."
She said customers make their own decisions on what companies to use when they send their parcels.
"The claim that the company is purposely being undermined is completely false and has no basis in fact," said Liu, adding Purolator is operated and managed independently of Canada Post, and any questions about their parcel volumes should be directed to them.
Online, Ettinger released a letter to Canadians about the future transformation of Canada Post.
He said a lot has changed since Canada Post became a Crown corporation 40 years ago. Mail has declined since 2006.
"This means mail revenues are decreasing while costs are rising. At the same time, private companies are delivering more and more of Canadians’ parcels, which adds to our losses," explained Ettinger.
"Unfortunately, when Canada Post loses money, taxpayers now foot the bill – a bill which currently amounts to about $1 billion a year."
Ettinger said he fully supported the measures announced by the Canadian government, saying converting more households to community mailboxes will "fuel significant savings," which, he said will include their well-established delivery accommodation program that is used by more than 17,000 households, and ensures they can meet the delivery needs of Canadians who have accessibility challenges.
He also explained that post offices considered rural in 1994, are not rural anymore and, because of population growth and the growth if cities and towns, they are now located in bustling urban and suburban areas.
And it is these post offices they are looking to close.
In addition, Ettinger added, Canada Post is over-staffed.
"With thousands of employees eligible to retire over the next five years, we can minimize the impact on our people," he said.
"Canadians have been changing the way they use the postal service, and we must change with them," finished Ettinger.
"We also understand the importance of our service to small businesses across the country, and we need to get this right. As we move forward, our commitment to Canadians is to be transparent, fair, and respectful. We will be attentive to concerns and responsive to questions," he said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the issue in Ottawa on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
"The postal service is an essential service," said the Prime Minister as he addressed the House of Commons.
"We need a viable postal service. Currently the situation is difficult. Canada Post is losing millions of dollars. We need to take action. We need to restructure," he said.
Bowles said what workers want is full-time employment, "what we consider good jobs in this country." But, Canada Post is only bringing forward part-time employment.
And, she said, Canada Post could expand their services, with 6,500 post offices in communities across the country.
"We're here to preserve and maintain a public post office. We're not here to make a profit. We're here to just serve Canadians and we are proudly doing that on a day-to-day basis," said Bowles.
During COVID, she said, they were treated like heroes and now they are being treated like "zeroes."
