Charities are expressing concerns over the impact another Canada Post strike will have on donations ahead of Thanksgiving.
Canada Post workers walked off the job last week after the federal government gave the mail service the green light to significantly pull back on mail delivery service over the span of a few years.
At Haven on the Queensway, who helps prepare warm meals for Thanksgiving, they are worried about how the act of giving back might be impacted by the postal strike.
“We have a lot of big family foundations and donors that still provide monthly donations through the mail through cheques so those are the ones we rely on a regular basis,” said Director of Operations Aretha Khaloo. “This isn’t something we planned for.”
The last time non-profits like Haven on the Queensway were hit by a Canada Post strike was less than a year ago during a time when Canadians tend to be more generous.
“Christmas was … it was a hard hit … We did see a significant drop in donations coming through the mail,” explained Khaloo.
Another round of job action by postal workers has led to mail coming to a halt yet again. Something online giving platform CanadaHelps says is leaving non-profits and charities on edge.
“I think I would compare many Canadian charities to having to act as like a hockey goalie where they are having to constantly dodge pucks that have that are being sent their way,” said Senior Manager with CanadaHelps, Nicole Danesi.
CanadaHelps estimates charities nationwide lost $266 million in donations due to the Canada Post strike last year.
“We are expecting that many charities will be negatively affected yet again, particularly for food organizations that are sending out holiday or Thanksgiving appeals right now and expecting those donations to come through,” added Danesi.
Tariff tensions with the U.S. also continues to cause ongoing economic uncertainty for them too.
“We actually did a tour with a donor, and they are having trouble bringing things in. The delays, the prices of things … Which affects how much they can donate,” said Khaloo.
With two postal strikes and a trade war in one fiscal year, CanadaHelps and non-profits like Haven on the Queensway say it’s been tough to navigate through, but they hope Canadians before the Thanksgiving holiday will take time to find other ways to share their blessings with others.
“We really would encourage Canadians to really shift their giving to online channels because at the end of the day, it is guaranteed,” said Danesi. “The strike isn’t going stop generosity.”
