Welcome Hall Mission warns Canada Post rotating strikes may cut vital donations

The rotating strikes at Canada Post are creating concerns for Montreal’s Welcome Hall Mission, which relies heavily on mailed donations to fund its programs. The organization says the disruption could significantly impact its ability to support vulnerable communities.

Sam Watts, president and CEO, explained that many donors still prefer mailing contributions.

“A lot of our donations do come by mail,” he said. “When there’s a mail strike, that always affects us.”

He acknowledged that while some donors make the switch to online giving, many– particularly older supporters — are hesitant to move away from traditional methods.

“When there’s a mail strike, it challenges us to be able to do what we need to do,” he said. “And so we’re kind of hoping that we’ll catch up now that we’re into rotating mail strikes and we’ll see some stuff come through the mail once again.”

Watts said the mission offers alternatives for those uncomfortable with digital giving.

“People can call us and give over the phone if they’re more comfortable doing that,” he said. “They can also drop off donations at our place if they’re able to get to any of our locations and we’ve got seven of them around the city.”

He stressed that online giving is straightforward and secure, but wants to reassure donors there are options.

“We just encourage people to not give up on giving just because there’s a postal strike.”

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has been on strike since Sept. 25, after the federal government announced changes to Canada Post’s business model the union says would lead to job losses.

Mail delivery had been paused entirely because of the strike. But since Saturday the union committed to rotating strikes instead, allowing mail and parcel delivery to resume, albeit on a limited basis.

The impact of past strikes looms large. During last year’s holiday season, the mission lost an estimated $1 million in donations because mail delivery was halted.

“At Christmas time, when we didn’t have mail coming in,” Watts said. “Now we made up some of that online because some people switched to giving online. But the mail is very important and we kind of hope that this issue gets settled quickly.”

As the Canada Post rotating strikes continues, Welcome Hall Mission hopes donors adapt — because for many community members, the need won’t be paused.

Canada Post made its most recent offer to striking workers on Oct. 3, one the union has characterized as an “outright attack on public service.”

–With files from The Canadian Press