Businesses and consumers face delays, missed payments during postal strike

Canada Post workers picket outside a distribution centre in Montreal on Friday. Their union called a nationwide walkout after the federal government told the postal service to end door-to-door delivery.

Canada Post deliveries across the country have stopped after the Crown corporation’s workers went on strike , leaving consumers and small businesses bracing for delays, missed payments and higher costs.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), which represents more than 50,000 employees, called a nationwide walkout Thursday evening after the federal government announced sweeping changes to the postal service, including an end to door-to-door mail delivery and closing some rural post offices.

This is the second postal strike in less than a year, after more than 20 months of tense