It's been five days since thousands of Canada Post workers went on strike over wages, working conditions and other issues.
They may have stopped delivering mail but even on the picket lines, they know they have a job to do.
On Wednesday (Nov. 20), Nancy Eaton, a longtime Canada Post employee, stopped by the picket line outside the Sidney depot on Mills Road to pick up some cheques. She will be delivering these voluntarily, in between standing alongside her fellow strikers.
"It's a one-day thing, because the CPP cheques, child benefits and other government cheques need to be delivered so they're all going out today," she says.
According to Eaton, Pharmasave and other independent retail outlets for Canada Post remain open.
"We can still deliver your parcels, take your prepaid returns, Money Gram, money orders, bill payments (with identifying QR code), reloadable credit cards, and we can still sell the usual stamps, envelopes and boxes," she added.
The postal service shutdown has already affected millions of Canadians and businesses nationwide, just as the holiday season is beginning.
Despite the cold and windy weather, Cass Dunn, Candice Wallace and Don Bhata are resolved to see the end of the strike knowing how the service disruption has affected many people in the community.
"I mean we understand the Christmas season is here and people want to buy and send stuff through the mail, but we wouldn't be doing this if we didn't think it was the last resort," Wallace said. "We're just trying to get a negotiated agreement. Hopefully soon."
Meanwhile, Penni Novak has stepped away from the picket line to help sort out the cheques to be delivered.
Novak also happens to have been in charge of Canada Post's Santa's Letter program at the Mills Road depot for the last 10 years.
Teachers and parents alike are wondering if the strike will affect this beloved Christmas tradition where "postal elves" have been sorting through more than a million letters to Santa each year for more than 40 years.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Eaton says, can collect the letters at the picket line.
"Penny gave me a bag because my picket is normally done on the one at Beacon Avenue. Although we haven't worked out the details, we will be collecting them."
She says if the strike is not resolved on time, people can come back and get the letters from them at the picket lines.
"We don't have a better solution for that right now, but that seems to me like that could work," she said.
Santa's Letters can be dropped off at the Canada Post outlet at 2513 Beacon Ave. and at the Sidney depot at 2065 Mills Rd.
Negotiations between Canada Post and CUPW continue. The union is asking for a cumulative wage hike of 24 per cent over four years for its 55,000 members, while Canada Post has offered an 11.5 per cent increase.
