B.C. charities worried Canada Post strike will affect fundraising efforts

By Nono Shen, The Canadian Press on November 17, 2024.

Some B.C. charities and not-for-profits say they are worried the Canada Post strike will jeopardize their year-end fundraising efforts. A Canada Post delivery truck leaves a depot in Montreal on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

VANCOUVER – Some B.C. charities and not-for-profits say they are worried the Canada Post strike will jeopardize their year-end fundraising efforts.

Nicole Mucci, a spokeswoman for Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, says 50 per cent of the organization’s revenue normally comes between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and a mail strike at this time of the year is “detrimental” since so many donations come in the mail.

Mucci says the Mission supports the postal workers’ fight and hopes there will be a resolution soon, and in the meantime they are exploring other ways to connect with donors.

Workers at Canada Post went on strike Friday after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with their employer.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says approximately 55,000 workers are striking, claiming little progress has been made in the bargaining process.

Gregory Ould, co-founder of Vancouver-based charity Blanket BC Society, says his organization counts on large donations through the mail from a Canadian mattress company to help people in the winter, and he’s worried the strike will affect the families, refugees and homeless people the organization serves.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2024.