More than 55,000 CUPW members have been on strike since Nov. 15. Since the strike began, Canada Post has not processed or delivered any mail or packages, causing continued disruption to the public and businesses during the busy holiday season.
There is one ray of light for Canadians waiting for their mail: some government checks are yet to go through. As announced in November, Canada Post and CUPW will continue to deliver social and economic checks during the work stoppage, to relevant and participating government agencies.
“Under the agreement, CUPW is committed to providing enough volunteers to deliver the cheques,” Jon Hamilton, vice-president, strategic communications and stakeholder engagement at Canada Post, told MoneySense. “Participating federal government programs include Canada Child Benefit (CCB), Old Age Security (OAS), Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). Provincial checks for December include those from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia. Social and economic checks for the month of December will be delivered on December 18 and 19.”
You may have noticed that some post offices and Canada Post stores are open, although they do not accept mail or parcels (except for returns). The workers are not members of CUPW—they belong to other unions or are employed by a franchise.
Service Canada issues CPP and OAS early checks
In anticipation of delays due to the postal strike, Service Canada began issuing pension checks earlier than usual in November.
The federal government is also encouraging Canadians to set up a My Canada Service Account online. With that account, you can arrange to have any of your earnings deposited directly into your bank account. The account also allows users to access services related to social insurance numbers (SINs), Canada Dental Care Plan (CDCP), government pensions and more.
If you owe money or need to pay a tax installment to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), you can avoid interest and penalties by making payments electronically, either through online banking or a one-time payment using CRA’s online services.
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What government checks were not delivered during the strike?
Unfortunately, some government checks and cards are not delivered during the business interruption, including passports, driver’s licenses, health cards, and federal and state tax refunds and rebates. Employment insurance (EI) checks are only delivered to those who are “very needy,” according to Employment and Social Development Canada.
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