Canada Post strike threatens donations to Ottawa charities

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Charities in Ottawa say they are missing out on potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in holiday donations amidst the protracted Canada Post strike.

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Postal workers have been striking since mid-November, affecting everything from holiday shopping to donation campaigns that charities rely on to fund their services for the entire year.

Now as the mail strike enters its fourth week, Peter Tilley, CEO of the Ottawa Mission, says the homeless shelter could see a hit of about 15 to 20 per cent of its annual donations, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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“The Mission, like many shelters and food banks, has a broad donor base, not a deep donor base,” he said in an interview. While some charities might receive $1 million or $10 million endowments, the Mission is heavily dependent on its direct mail campaigns, where pre-postage envelopes hit the mailboxes of generous donors, who send back donations of $50 or $100, he said.

“And it’s many, many $50 or $100 this time of year.”

On the eve of the strike, Canada Post said mail and parcels would not be processed or delivered, and some post offices would close. Service guarantees for items already in the postal network couldn’t be honoured, and no new items will be accepted until the “national disruption” is over, a Nov. 15 statement said.

The Mission provides 3,000 meals per day, every day, as well as shelter, clothing and more for 250 men. The Christmas donation drive “helps us get through the winter months,” Tilley said, with the recent blast of winter weather draining the shelter of its winter clothing supply.

Ahead of Christmas, the Ottawa Mission mails placemats to potential donors. Along with their donation, people write letters of encouragement on the placemats, which are used to set the table during the Mission’s special Christmas dinner.

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But this year, “we’re not getting the beautiful messages of encouragement,” Tilley said, which is “such a big part of what we do” both for the men living in the shelter, and the women and children who celebrate Christmas at the Mission.

“So we’re going to miss that, and also miss the donations that come in with that. It’s quite a hit for us.”

While some fundraising efforts have entered the digital era, many donors, particularly older Canadians, still prefer to donate to charities via snail mail. With the mail strike, some are braving slippery winter streets to deliver their donations in person, while others are holding onto their cash and cheques until the strike ends.

“Let’s hope that happens, rather than donations not happening,” Tilley said. “It’s consequential to operations.”

A prolonged strike could mean the Mission might have to delay its job training program, set to launch in January, he added.

The hit to donations comes at a time when Canadians are slowly donating less and less, with a recent study from the Fraser Institute showing the percentage of tax filers donating to charity has fallen over the last decade from 22.4 per cent in in 2012 to 17.1 per cent in 2022.

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Fewer Canadians are donating, and the amounts donated are smaller than in years past, the study says, adding “this decline in generosity in Canada undoubtedly limits the ability of Canadian charities to improve the quality of life in their communities and beyond.”

Ottawa charities of all kinds are facing higher demand for their services, too.

Bronwen Dearlove, the Ottawa Humane Society’s chief development officer, says the animal shelter is seeing the need “on both sides of the leash.”

She says the animal shelter is caring for more than 500 animals, about a 20 per cent increase compared to last year. Keeping these animals fed, healthy and safe while they wait for their forever home costs about $34 per day.

The humane society’s wellness clinic, which provides veterinary care for pets in low-income families, has seen a 70 per cent increase compared to 2023, and its pet food bank, similarly, has seen a 20 per cent increase.

“Like every other charity, this is happening in the middle of our holiday appeal campaign,” she said. “We know this impact isn’t something they want to happen, on either side of the bargaining table, but it is an unexpected impact of the strike.”

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Snail mail is still the preferred method of donation for many charities because people are more likely to open mail, and respond, compared to email, she said.

“It might cost a quarter of a million dollars, but we’ll figure out how to still do what we do for the community we serve, by stretching those dollars further.”

A statement from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said the union empathizes with “everyone impacted by the work stoppage.

“As postal workers, we love serving our communities. The decision to strike was not made lightly coming nearly a year after exhausting negotiations,” the statement reads in part.

The union says it wants to strengthen and protect the post office, now and into the future.

“We’re fighting for fair wages, safer working conditions, a right to retire in dignity and an expansion of services offered by our public post office. CUPW is prepared to get back to the bargaining table so we can resume the work that we love in our communities as soon as possible.”

Canada Post did not respond to a request for comment. A statement posted to its website Dec. 9 said the postal service is “extremely disappointed” that the union’s intention “appears to be to widen the gap in negotiations, rather than close it.”

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Tim Kluke, president and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, said his organization has pivoted to emphasize its online donation campaigns, and purchased more radio and TV ad space for Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3, which came on the heels of American Thanksgiving and the subsequent Black Friday Christmas shopping rush.

“It’s safe to say, the strike cannot come at a worse time for charities,” he said. Christmas mail campaigns have already been printed, so even if the strike is resolved in the coming weeks, “we’re going to eat that cost,” he said. “We won’t send out a Christmas campaign in February.”

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