From where I'm standing in all this, a happy Canuck this does not make me.
Unfortunately, Canada Post has decided to change their 'rolling strike' schedule into a full lockout nationwide, meaning that there is absolutely no mail being received or delivered in Canada, save necessary social assistance cheques and the like. That leaves me between a rock and a hard place, and I'll be temporarily suspending deliveries for the time being from my Etsy shop. Boooooooooooooo.
I'm a one-woman machine when it comes to my tiny little corner of the vast interweb universe. I create jewelry for a labour of love and that extra spike in the grocery money. I love the stuff that I make, and have a hard time letting it go when it comes to listing it for sale. I appreciate every single person that views my shop, every single dollar that's sent my way, every single piece of feedback I receive. It's what helps an artist understand her work better and improve herself. It's a tiny, but noble, operation. It's unfortunate that an important part of my operation to help my little business possibly expand has been temporarily cut off. I'm researching affordable courier options with the hopes of continuing "business as usual."
In the meantime, if you've got your eye on something in the shop but are deterred by this strike and the wait, may I offer something to help sweeten the deal - enter discount code POSTALSTRIKE at checkout and save 30% on your purchase* in my Etsy shop, because you're awesome for patiently waiting. (*This discount can't be used in combination with other promotions available in the shop.)
The federal government is trying to pass a bill to get Canada Post back up and running for the economy's sake, so hopefully this won't last too long. I'll keep you updated!
In the meantime, if you have recommendations for an affordable courier service you've had a great experience with, I'd love to know! :)
UPDATE, June 27: After a 58-hour 'filibuster' in the House of Commons, Canadian government passed legislation ordering Canada Post back to work, days before Parliament was scheduled to close for a week for summer holidays. Canada Post isn't happy about the outcome, with lowered wages and other benefits shortened, and the NDP were adamant about stalling the bill to fight for the union. They promise that they will not take out their bitterness on the citizens, but they weren't happy about the situation in the first place when they found themselves locked out. They were even less happy about it when the government intervened on union issues. I think this may be one of the only times I may agree with our Conservative government in regards to Bill 53-26.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been lost in revenue in our country while the lockout took place from small businesses who depend on Canada Post to get their product internationally, especially those like most of you reading this. The debates about the necessity of the postal service due to the lack of carrier mail - blaming email for this - seem to be asking the wrong people. Every time I go to the post office I am standing in a rather long lineup, no matter what time of day or what day of week I'm there. I'm very disappointed in the NDP, as well, claiming to be a 'party for the people' while those who depend on this service to help run their own businesses suffered tremendous losses, some who may never recover. I'm lucky that my Etsy shop is not counted as my primary income.
So, here's what they're saying: the letter-sorting from the backlog should resume on Monday, with deliveries to begin Tuesday. Some of your packages might be in this melee, I might be able to find that out once post offices are open again on Tuesday. July 1st is Canada Day, a national holiday for banks and post offices and all that government jazz - the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will in Ottawa! - so I may hold off packages yet to be delivered until the Monday following. In the meantime, take advantage of the 30% discount with the promo code POSTALSTRIKE for your patience - the details are above!
